Background: Healthy default beverage (HDB) policies, which require restaurants to offer healthier drinks with children’s meals, may reduce child sugar-sweetened beverage consumption. Although they are gaining popularity across the United States, restaurant awareness and compliance remains low, warranting deeper investigation into policy guidance and implementer knowledge. Objective: To examine implementing agencies’ awareness of HDB policies, the prevalence of implementation and enforcement practices and their alignment with policy documents, and challenges to implementation and enforcement. Methods: We used a mixed-methods approach combining an analysis of HDB policy documents and an online survey of implementers across jurisdictions with state or local policies. A codebook was developed to assess implementation and enforcement provisions in policy documents. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize survey-reported practices, and we examined alignment between these practices and the corresponding policy language. Nineteen policy documents (4 state, 15 local) and 64 survey responses from unique jurisdictions were analyzed. Results: Among jurisdictions, 46 (72%) were knowledgeable about their policy. Most state jurisdictions (86%) and all local jurisdictions reported using a communication strategy regardless of inclusion in policy documents. Restaurant compliance was typically assessed through in-person restaurant visits (state: 78%; local: 42%). Equity-related implementation considerations included additional time for policy implementation (state: 43%; local: 60%) and technical support (state: 72%; local: 60%). Most state (67%) and local (73%) jurisdictions reported issuing warnings and fines for enforcement. Equity considerations for enforcement were reported for some state jurisdictions (27%) and included additional time to become compliant (75%) and issuing warnings without escalating to fines (25%). Implementation misalignment between practices and documents often reflected jurisdictions exceeding policy documents, whereas enforcement misalignment between practices and documents often involved inconsistent or incorrect use of the enforcement strategy in the policy document and misalignment of reported funding allocation. Conclusions: Although jurisdictions frequently expanded beyond written implementation requirements, enforcement knowledge and practices inconsistent with policy documents highlight potential gaps in resources, training, and infrastructure. Efforts to bolster implementer capacity and promote equitable approaches may increase the ability of localities to implement and enforce HDB policies.

As food systems grow increasingly complex, the intersection of public health nutrition and food design offers fertile ground for transformative innovation. Drawing on a narrative review of literature and several illustrative projects, this article examines the bidirectional relationship between these disciplines. This article situates the fields’ historical roots and recent convergences, outlines an approach to sources and case selection, and synthesizes institutional and methodological implications (speed, scope, scale). Ultimately, this reflection celebrates the evolution of food design as a field increasingly expanded by public health’s population-level perspectives. Such expansion has the potential to advance system-level transformations via sustained collaboration and exchanges to advance equity, sustainability and well‑being across food systems.

This study examined the nutritional environments of restaurants offering children’s menus and their association with neighborhood-level factors in a southern United States city with disproportionately high childhood obesity rates. On-site assessments were conducted to generate nutrition environment scores for restaurants offering children’s menus in New Orleans, Louisiana (n = 191). Restaurants were geocoded and linked to neighborhood characteristics, including racial/ethnic composition and socioeconomic opportunity measured by the Social and Economic Child Opportunity Index (COI-SE). Multivariate linear regressions assessed associations between nutrition environment scores and neighborhood characteristics, adjusting for restaurant-specific attributes. Restaurants located in neighborhoods with COI-SEs above the median had significantly higher nutrition environment scores (+ 2.41 points; 95

Background Healthy default beverage (HDB) policies, which require restaurants to offer healthier drinks with children’s meals, may reduce child sugar-sweetened beverage consumption. Although they are gaining popularity across the United States, restaurant awareness and compliance remains low, warranting deeper investigation into policy guidance and implementer knowledge. Methods We used a mixed-methods approach combining an analysis of HDB policy documents and an online survey of implementers across jurisdictions with state or local policies. A codebook was developed to assess implementation and enforcement provisions in policy documents. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize survey-reported practices, and we examined alignment between these practices and the corresponding policy language. Nineteen policy documents (4 state, 15 local) and 64 survey responses from unique jurisdictions were analyzed. Results Among jurisdictions, 46 (72%) were knowledgeable about their policy. Most state jurisdictions (86%) and all local jurisdictions reported using a communication strategy regardless of inclusion in policy documents. Restaurant compliance was typically assessed through in-person restaurant visits (state: 78%; local: 42%). Equity-related implementation considerations included additional time for policy implementation (state: 43%; local: 60%) and technical support (state: 72%; local: 60%). Most state (67%) and local (73%) jurisdictions reported issuing warnings and fines for enforcement. Equity considerations for enforcement were reported for some state jurisdictions (27%) and included additional time to become compliant (75%), and issuing warnings without escalating to fines (25%). Implementation misalignment between practices and documents often reflected jurisdictions exceeding policy documents, while enforcement misalignment between practices and documents often involved inconsistent or incorrect use of the enforcement strategy in the policy document, and misalignment of reported funding allocation. Conclusions While jurisdictions frequently expanded beyond written implementation requirements, enforcement knowledge and practices inconsistent with policy documents highlights potential gaps in resources, training, and infrastructure. Efforts to bolster implementer capacity and promote equitable approaches may increase the ability of localities to implement and enforce HDB policies.

Objective To examine community food and nutrition assistance providers’ perceptions of Latino adults with limited income and limited English proficiency (LEP), and the services provided to them. Design In-depth semistructured interviews. Setting US (2022). Participants Community food and nutrition assistance providers (n = 20) Analysis Verbatim transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis, fitted into a theory on language use, social positioning, and Latino adults’ health. Member checking verified the findings. Results Subordinate social positions of Latino adults with LEP when procuring community food and nutrition assistance stemmed from perceived authority (community food and nutrition assistance providers’ social power), loss of Latino participants’ adequation (social isolation), and their diminished authentication (barriers to validate information). Conclusions and Implications Subordinate social positioning in community food and nutrition assistance procurement among Latino adults with LEP may persist because of structures favoring those English proficient. Evaluating approaches that intentionally design community food and nutrition assistance for this population is needed to inform their influence on these structures.

Importance:Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are the leading source of added sugar in US children's diets and are linked to increased obesity risk, and restaurants are critical settings for interventions to reduce SSB consumption. Local menu ordinances requiring default healthier beverages (HDB) are gaining in popularity, but to date, there has been no rigorous evaluation of their effectiveness. Objective:To evaluate the outcomes of an HDB ordinance on beverage ordering for children in restaurants. Design, Setting, and Participants:Difference-in-differences study using caregiver-reported survey data before and after policy implementation (September 2022 and 2024, respectively) in 2 urban parishes in Louisiana: New Orleans (intervention city) and Baton Rouge (comparison city). Parents and caregivers (≥18 years) of children aged 2 to 12 years who had ordered or eaten at a restaurant with their child in the past 30 days were surveyed. Exposure:Implementation of the New Orleans Healthy Kids' Meal Beverage Ordinance, which mandates that only water, unflavored or low-fat milk, or 100% juice be offered as default beverages with children's meals. Main Outcomes and Measures:The primary outcome was ordering of a healthy default beverage with the most recent children's restaurant meal. Secondary outcomes included beverage volume, sugar and calorie intake, and selection of beverage types. Models were weighted and adjusted for demographics, dining mode, and caregiver attitudes. Results:A total of 1006 caregivers completed the baseline survey (736 [73.2%] female; 506 in New Orleans, 500 in Baton Rouge), and 1131 completed the postpolicy survey (548 [48.5%] female; 556 in New Orleans, 575 in Baton Rouge). Healthy beverage ordering decreased in both cities, but comparison of before-and-after differences between the 2 cities indicates the ordinance was associated with higher odds of ordering a healthy beverage (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.10; 95% CI, 1.16 to 3.83; P = .02), attenuating the ordering decline in New Orleans. Sugar intake decreased by 5.6 g (95% CI, -9.6 to -1.5 g; P = .007), and calorie intake declined by 34.0 kcal (95% CI, -59.1 to -8.9 kcal; P = .008). The odds of ordering water increased (aOR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.12 to 3.85), while the odds of ordering 100% juice decreased (aOR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.96). No significant changes were observed for SSBs or beverage volume. Conclusions and Relevance:In this survey study, the New Orleans HDB ordinance was associated with modest but meaningful improvements in children's beverage ordering, supporting default-based policies as a tool for promoting healthier dietary behaviors.

Objective: Healthy Default Beverage (HDB) ordinances have been implemented across the United States to reduce sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) intake by making healthier options the default for children's meals. This study explored restaurant staff knowledge and perceptions of the HDB ordinance and its potential impact one year after its implementation in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Methods: We conducted 21 in-person interviews with restaurant staff across 20 restaurants from March to May 2024, including independent, national chain, and local chain establishments. The interviews focused on the popularity of children's meals, beverages offered, restaurant staff knowledge and perceptions of the ordinance, and potential policy-related health benefits. Results: The majority of restaurant staff supported the policy but expressed concerns about its implementation. Restaurant staff estimated that most children's meals were still ordered with SSBs. Staff felt the policy alone may not change behavior. They highlighted the need for broader public education on the health risks of SSBs. Conclusion: This study identified key factors that may impact the effectiveness of the HDB ordinance, including the need for clearer guidelines, stronger enforcement mechanisms, and better support from public health authorities. Findings suggest that both restaurant staff and parents require further education to ensure the policy's success, especially in marginalized communities. Future research should focus on societal, cultural, and enforcement factors to optimize the impact of HDB policies in improving children's health outcomes.

Background Privilege (defined as the unearned advantage or disadvantage experienced by social groups resulting from structural power differences) impacts efforts to create a diverse and inclusive dietetics profession. Yet, no current measures exist to assess and observe privilege, and the relative privilege among dietetics professionals (DPs) is unknown. Objective The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a scale to measure DP privilege and to use that scale to assess privilege among a sample of DPs in the United States. Design The initial scale was developed by the research team and the psychometrics were assessed using a 3-phase cross-sectional study exploring construct, content and face validity, and test-retest reliability. Participants/setting A survey with content experts (n = 18), cognitive interviewees (n = 12), and a survey of DPs (n = 900) were conducted online and over Zoom during 2021. Statistical analyses Exploratory factor analysis, 1-way analysis of variance, Cronbach's a, and descriptive statistics were used to assess the final instrument and identify correlates of privilege. Results Findings indicate that the 29-item Dietetic Profession Privilege Scale has good validity and reliability across 6 domains (ie, treatment in training, identity alignment, resource access, cultural access, financial access, and physical access). The mean (SE) privilege score among the current sample of DPs was 45 (10.2) out of 58 points, with the greatest gaps between racial and ethnic groups, where White DPs (n = 540) had a mean (SE) score of 49.7 (0.33), followed by a mean score of 41.0 among Middle Eastern/North African DPs (n = 9); mean score of 40.0 for the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander- identifying DP; mean (SE) score of 39.8 (0.93) among DPs with 2 or more racial or ethnic identities, including White (n = 68); mean score of 35.7 among DPs with 2 or more marginalized racial or ethnic identities (n = 6); a mean (SE) score of 35.3 (1.07) among Black or African American DPs (n = 51); a mean (SE) score of 34.3 (0.93) among Asian DPs (n = 67); a mean (SE) score of 33.4 (0.91) among Latino, Hispanic, and Chicano DPs (n = 71); and a mean (SE) 29.4 (3.42) among American Indian and Alaskan Native DPs (P <.001 for all racial and ethnic groups in which n > 10; SE not indicated for groups when n < 10). DPs with dominant group identities were found to have statistically higher privilege scores than their peers with marginalized identities in several areas, including race, gender, sexual orientation, income, socioeconomic status, neurodivergence, and ableness, and scored higher on the privilege scale than their peers with marginalized identities. Conclusions The Dietetics Profession Privilege Scale is a valid and reliable scale that demonstrates the ability to distinguish differences in privilege between DPs in the interest of reducing bias and achieving inclusion, diversity, equity, and access with the profession. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2025;125(3):366-385.

Objective Disaster response plans play a major role in mitigating the impact of climate-related disasters on community food access. This study examined existing disaster response plans in 5 US locations that experienced the costliest hurricanes since 2017 (states: Florida, Texas, Louisiana; territories: Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands) to assess how existing disaster response plans and response efforts address food-related issues across 4 key domains: availability, accessibility, agency, and acceptability. Methods A content analysis of disaster response plans was conducted. Disaster response plans were complemented by a review of gray literature and media sources examining the post-hurricane aftermaths. Disaster plans were coded using a deductive analysis approach guided by the Disaster Food Security Framework. Results The analysis revealed significant disparities in planning and resources between territories and states. Findings highlight political and structural drivers of disparities in food access, particularly in US territories. State-mandated procedures resulted in a consistent level of effectiveness in their food distribution strategies. Conclusions These disparities underscore the need for targeted policy reforms and enhanced federal support to ensure equitable food security during disasters.

Objective:Consumption of restaurant food is associated with poorer diet quality and greater consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among children; and online restaurant purchases have increased substantially. New Orleans, Louisiana, enacted a healthy beverage default (HBD) ordinance effective January 1st, 2023, that restricted beverages automatically included with kids' meals, but that did not apply to online ordering platforms. This study evaluated whether this ordinance impacted online offerings. Methods:Data on online kids' meal beverage offerings one month before and 8-11 months after the ordinance effective date were collected for chain restaurants in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Online ordering platforms included restaurant websites/applications and three third-party platforms (Grubhub, Uber Eats, and DoorDash). Difference-in-differences (DID) weighted logistic regression models with robust standard errors clustered on restaurant were used to estimate relative changes in (1) compliance with HBD ordinance requirements, (2) default offerings of only water, milk, and 100 % juice, and (3) any default offerings of soda. Results:The DID results revealed no statistically significant changes in compliance or beverage offerings in restaurants in New Orleans compared to Baton Rouge following the HBD ordinance; further, nearly all estimated odds ratios were close to 1, indicating no meaningful differences in changes in outcomes across sites. Conclusions:This study found no evidence that the New Orleans HBD ordinance led to changes in kids' meal default beverage offerings on online ordering platforms. The results underscore the need for HBD policies that specifically apply to online ordering platforms, and for enforcement and monitoring of these platforms.

Background/Objectives: Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is associated with child obesity, an understudied issue in the southern United States, where obesity rates are the highest in the country. We examined the factors associated with high SSB intakes among children aged 2-12 years in two major cities in Louisiana, New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using an online survey. The sample consisted of caregivers of children aged 2-12 years who eat restaurant meals (either dine-in, delivery, or take-out) at least once a month and reside in or near New Orleans or Baton Rouge, LA. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with high child SSB intake frequency (≥4 times/week), including restaurant use, caregiver attitudes towards SSB, and their demographics (n = 1006). Results: Most caregivers reported weekly child SSB consumption (74.6% ≥ 1×/week; 38.1% ≥ 4+/week) and restaurant use (58.8% ≥ 1×/week). High SSB frequency (≥4+/week) was associated with a higher frequency of restaurant use, lower caregiver education, agreement with the statement that SSBs are an important part of family meals, and disagreement with the statement that restaurants should not offer SSBs with children's meals (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our results revealed a high frequency of SSB consumption among children who dine at restaurants monthly, with significant associations observed between SSB intake, restaurant meals, and pro-SSB attitudes. These findings may support the need for regulations, such as healthy default beverage policies for children's menus, to potentially reduce SSB intake and shift social norms, particularly in regions with high childhood obesity rates like Louisiana and the southern USA.

Introduction:Childhood obesity and related health consequences are associated with sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and present significant health challenges in the U.S., particularly among minoritized and low-income populations. Louisiana, with some of the highest obesity and cardiometabolic disease rates in the U.S., exemplifies these concerns. Dining out increases sugar-sweetened beverage intake and underscores the need for interventions. Methods:This observational study examines the proportion of restaurants offering beverages with children's meals on printed and QR code menus, the types of beverages they offer, and correlates of offering these beverages across 287 restaurants in New Orleans, Louisiana, before its healthy default beverage policy was implemented and in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which does not have a healthy default beverage policy. On-site environmental assessments were conducted in restaurants offering children's menus. Results:Only 14.6% of restaurants with children's meals offered only healthy default beverage options, 39.4% offered sugar-sweetened beverages, and 46% did not specify children's beverages on their menus. Logistic regression analysis indicated that restaurants categorized as fast food, affiliated with a chain, or offering children's meals with age restrictions were significantly more likely to include beverages in their children's meals. Furthermore, chain and fast-food restaurants were more likely than fast-casual restaurants to include only healthy default beverages on the children's menus. Conclusions:Ultimately, this research contributes to the broader discourse on improving nutritional environments in restaurant settings and underscores the need for evidence-based interventions to mitigate the impact of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption on childhood obesity and health outcomes. The findings provide a foundation for future studies evaluating the effectiveness of healthy default beverage policies.

Health behavior theories are scientific frameworks used to inform health behavior interventions to address health-related issues, given their use in understanding and modifying behavior change. We aimed to assess how theory-informed health behavior interventions utilize health equity frameworks and methods. Using the PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a scoping review of ten often taught health behavior theories found in health behavior textbooks. We identified 656 intervention papers, and after the title and abstract screening and full-text review, we extracted data from 26 studies. We conducted a thematic analysis to examine 1) the prevalence and quality of behavior interventions informed by health equity frameworks and 2) the application of health equity frameworks in the design and implementation of health behavior interventions. Theory-informed health behavior interventions incorporating equity frameworks predominately focused on two strategies. First, by incorporating multilevel frameworks via the socioecological model to influence behavior at multiple levels of risk. The second was utilizing community-based participatory methods to integrate the community’s cultural, social, and lived experiences into the interventions. Creating practices and policies rooted in lived experiences, such as recording meetings, having childcare, and processes for inclusion of feedback served to embed equity into the intervention design and implementation. Studies that were more dedicated to community involvement showed greater community acceptance and improved intervention outcomes. Our scoping review identified that incorporating equity into health behavior interventions is essential yet not widely practiced and poorly understood regarding how to “bake in equity.” Enhanced training on incorporating equity into theory-informed behavioral interventions could improve health behavior and health education training, research, and practice.

Restaurants are important institutions in the communities’ economy with the potential to promote healthier foods but have been under-engaged in public health nutrition efforts. In particular, independently owned, minority-serving and minority-owned restaurants, remain under-represented in nutrition promotion efforts despite disproportionate burdens of diet-related health outcomes among minority populations. Addressing this gap in engagement, we undertook a process of co-designing and implementing healthy eating-focused interventions in two Latin American restaurants in New York City, combining the Behavior Change Wheel intervention development framework with a Human-Centered Design approach. Restaurant owners and chefs were involved in the research synthesis and solution development processes, resulting in two tailored interventions. This paper describes this co-development process and offers reflections and lessons regarding: (1) implementation research in community settings, (2) the application of Human-Centered Design to promote the uptake of community-based interventions on food and health equity, and (3) the combined use of Human-Centered Design and Implementation science in these complex community settings.

Background Historically, food insecurity prevalence has been higher in Hispanic households than in non-Hispanic White households. Food insecurity prevalence among Hispanic adults, US-born and foreign-born, may vary by language use. Objective To explore whether or not the relationship between language use and food insecurity varied over time (1999-2018) among US-born and foreign-born Hispanic adults. Design Trends analysis and multivariable logistic regression modeling using pooled cross-sectional data. Participants and setting Fifteen thousand sixty-two Hispanic adults participating in the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2018). Main outcome measures Food insecurity prevalence, assessed with the US Household Food Security Survey Module. Statistical analysis Unadjusted food insecurity trends from 1999 to 2018 by language use (mostly English, both languages equally, or mostly Spanish) among US-born and foreign-born Hispanic adults were analyzed using piecewise-linear regression of log prevalence rates. Multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and with an interaction term between language use and time were used to determine if odds of food insecurity among US-born and foreign-born Hispanic adults varied by language use between 1999 and 2018. Results Hispanic adults' food insecurity prevalence followed an upward linear trend from 1999 to 2018; this was significant for US-born mostly English-speakers (P < 0.001), US-born mostly Spanish-speakers (P = 0.013), and foreign-born mostly Spanish-speakers (P < 0.001). In fully adjusted logistic regression models, foreign-born Hispanic adults who spoke both languages equally (odds ratio 1.8, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.6) and those who spoke mostly Spanish (odds ratio 1.9, 95% CI 1.4 to 2.8) had significantly higher food insecurity odds, compared with mostly English-speakers. No variations in associations across time were observed between language use and food insecurity (interaction P value > 0.1). Conclusions Hispanic adults' unadjusted food insecurity trends from 1999 to 2018 varied by language use. When adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and compared with mostly English-speakers, food insecurity odds were significantly higher only among foreign-born Hispanic adults who spoke either both languages equally or mostly Spanish. Food assistance programs should linguistically adapt their services for Hispanic adults.

Large cities are home to several groups of immigrants who undergo important changes in their environmental conditions and lifestyles that significantly modify their risk of chronic diseases. Quantitative evidence indicates that both their health and diet worsen over time; much less is known about the qualitative mechanisms that cause these changes. The aim of this article is to understand how immigrants in the city of Madrid perceive the relation between the urban food environment and dietary behaviour. Based on a Social Ecological Framework, we conducted a secondary qualitative analysis derived from data from 41 immigrant residents, collected in eight focus groups (FGs), conducted in two neighbourhoods in the city of Madrid. We identified the following main categories: 1) Transnational identity and dietary behaviour in the neighbourhood; 2) Transitions in dietary behaviour; and 3) Societal/structural factors determining dietary behaviour in the neighbourhood. The participants in the FGs mentioned that they try to maintain traditional dietary customs and perceive that the taste of their typical dishes is better than those of Spanish dishes. Contradictorily, some participants considered their traditional dietary patterns to be less healthy than Mediterranean ones (consuming olive oil, vegetables, fish). Some participants acknowledged having adapted to the latter voluntarily or through dietary negotiations with their children. Immigrant families with two working parents have difficulties cooking homemade food and resort to less healthy options, such as eating fast food or ready-made meals. Due to their low purchasing power, they buy both ethnic products and other products, as well as considering the prices and offers in supermarkets. Our study highlights several structural mechanisms connecting the physical and social urban food environment with dietary behaviours among immigrant residents of a large city.

Research Article| November 01 2023 Remembering Cruz Miguel Ortíz Cuadra: The Legacy of Puerto Rico’s Food Historian Melissa Fuster, Melissa Fuster Melissa Fuster is an associate professor at Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, with research addressing sociocultural factors influencing food environments, food practices, and related policies. She is the author of multiple articles and the book Caribeños at the Table: How Migration, Health, and Race Intersect in New York City (University of North Carolina Press, 2021). Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Crystal Díaz Crystal Díaz Crystal Díaz is a foodpreneur obsessed with food, the countryside, and the origin of what we eat. She is co-founder of PRoduce, a digital grocery marketplace connecting Puerto Rican food producers with consumers; the owner of El Pretexto, a Culinary Farm Lodge; and most recently, a Food Security Analyst in Espacios Abiertos. Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Gastronomica (2023) 23 (4): 89–95. https://doi.org/10.1525/gfc.2023.23.4.89 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Melissa Fuster, Crystal Díaz; Remembering Cruz Miguel Ortíz Cuadra: The Legacy of Puerto Rico’s Food Historian. Gastronomica 1 November 2023; 23 (4): 89–95. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/gfc.2023.23.4.89 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentGastronomica Search Up in the mountains of Cayey, at the center of the island of Puerto Rico, a feast was in the making. Friends and family, including renowned local chefs—a collection of James Beard Award nominees, among them, Natalia Vallejo, the first Puerto Rican Best Chef winner, as well as others with multiple national and international recognitions who have been placing the culinary delicacies of our island on the map. The smokiness of firewood burning in the outdoor kitchen of El Pretexto, Puerto Rico’s first culinary farm-stay bed & breakfast (and the home of one of the authors), mixed with the scents of garlic, culantro, and viandas (root vegetables) in the mountain air. This gathering on the afternoon of Sunday, May 28, 2023, felt special and different, as it was a celebration of family, friends, mentees, and students of Dr. Cruz Miguel Ortíz Cuadra, after his sudden passing earlier in the year.... You do not currently have access to this content.

AbstractObjective:To examine the association between language use – predominantly English, English and Spanish equally and predominantly Spanish – and food insecurity among Hispanic adults residing in the USA, 1999–2018.Design:Pooled cross-sectional study design.Setting:United States.Participants:15 073 Hispanic adults.Results:Compared with Hispanic adults who predominantly spoke English and after adjusting for age, sex, family income-to-poverty ratio, education level and employment status, Hispanic adults who spoke English and Spanish equally (OR = 1·28, 95 % CI = 1·05, 1·56) or predominantly Spanish (OR = 1·25, 95 % CI = 1·04, 1·49) had higher odds of food insecurity. After stratifying by country of birth, language use was associated with higher odds of food insecurity only for Hispanic adults born outside of the USA, but not for Hispanic adults born in the USA. Hispanic adults born outside of the USA who spoke English and Spanish equally (OR = 1·27, 95 % CI = 1·04, 1·55) or spoke predominantly Spanish (OR = 1·24, 95 % CI = 1·04, 1·48) had higher odds of food insecurity when compared with those who predominantly spoke English.Conclusion:Foreign-born Hispanic adults who speak predominantly Spanish, or English and Spanish equally, have higher odds of food insecurity. Food and nutrition assistance programmes that serve Hispanic immigrants should make sure to provide linguistically and culturally appropriate services to this population.