TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mosaic
Company (NYSE: MOS) today hosted its second annual Florida
Hunger-Relief Forum in Bradenton
at Renaissance on 9th, bringing together local, state
and national policymakers and nutrition experts to help drive
advocacy and action on hunger and nutrition issues.
Keynote speaker Florida
Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Adam Putnam, announced the "Florida's Roadmap to Living Healthy"
program, the first statewide map that correlates lack of access to
nutritious food with poor health indicators in an advanced
web-based GIS tool.
"The possibilities of this roadmap are unlimited," said
Commissioner Putnam. "It will help state agencies like mine make
better-informed decisions about how we use our limited resources to
support Florida communities at
greatest risk. This tool will also assist nonprofits, food banks
and other organizations to identify gaps in resources, determine
the most effective approaches and yield a greater impact on the
residents of Florida."
Mosaic speaker Senior Vice President of Public Affairs,
Mark Kaplan, added, "With 700,000
people in Central Florida
struggling with hunger and 250,000 of those children, it's
important to elevate the issue today on Hunger Action Day and
continue raising awareness every day from this day forward. We are
pleased to have invited key leaders to the table to share their
expertise and work together to find solutions to local and global
hunger."
Additional keynote speakers included Mari Gallagher, an independent food researcher
and author of the 2006 breakthrough study Examining the Impact
of Food Deserts on Public Health in Chicago. Gallagher addressed the
concerning implications of Florida's "Food Deserts," a growing number of
rural and urban areas without ready access to fresh, healthy, and
affordable food.
"Of great concern in Florida is
that Food Desert issues exist in both urban and rural areas," said
Gallagher. "It is great to see state and local leaders come
together to address the challenges that residents in poor access
areas face and work together to find solutions utilizing the new
statewide web-based map tool."
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Joel
Gittelsohn, PhD, medical anthropologist and one of the
country's leading researchers implementing and evaluating
community-based health and nutrition intervention programs, also
spoke to the forum about environmental interventions to improve
food access.
"We know that improving access to healthier food options can
help to prevent obesity and other diet-related chronic diseases,"
said Gittelsohn. "I appreciate the work of my colleagues at All
Children's Hospital Johns Hopkins Medicine to help families,
schools and community organizations make positive choices and
changes that address childhood obesity and improve health."
While keynote speakers addressed broader topics of food access
and nutrition, a discussion panel addressed local trends and the
role of state and local food policy in combating hunger. Expert
panelists included Matt Knott,
Feeding America; Anne Palmer,
Program Director, Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future,
Bloomberg School of Public Health;
Dr. Diana Greene, Manatee County Public Schools; Hank Scott, Long & Scott Farms; and
Brian West, Publix Super
Markets.
"Today's event was a platform for collaboration and it was
remarkable to experience the connections being made among community
thought leaders that are able to make a difference," added
Matt Knott, President of Feeding
America.
The program's afternoon session featured an interactive
community group discussion led by Robin
Safley, Division of Food, Nutrition and Wellness Director
with Florida's Department of
Agriculture and Consumer Services.
The discussion focused on food access as an economic development
tool, addressing the need for community partnerships to develop
entrepreneurship, redevelopment, and agricultural growth. It also
focused on strengthening and expanding community food systems
through effective statewide collaboration.
About The Mosaic Company and The Mosaic Company
Foundation
The Mosaic Company is the world's leading producer and marketer
of concentrated phosphate and potash, two essential crop nutrients.
Driven by its mission to help the world grow the food it needs,
Mosaic is committed to strengthening global food security and
protecting critical water resources.
The Mosaic Company and The Mosaic Company Foundation make
investments in and partner with best-of-class leaders in the focus
areas of food, water and local community investments. More
information about Mosaic is available at www.mosaicco.com.
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SOURCE The Mosaic Company