Healthy Eating Research

New! Based on the latest nutrition guidance from Healthy Eating Research and research from the Rudd Center, WellSCAN is a suite of digital tools aimed at helping food banks and pantries better identify and report on the nutritional quality of their inventory.

New tools include:
- A search bar to find the HER rank of specific products
- A calculator to assess rankings using nutrition info
- An inventory feature to track the nutritional quality of your offerings over time

If you are interested in implementing WellSCAN in your food pantry or food bank, visit wellscan.io and request an account.

WellSCAN - Nutrition Ranking technology for Food Banks and Food Pantries With nutrition guidance from Healthy Eating Research and research from the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health, the WellSCAN search can summarize HER rankings for common and UPC specific foods.

Policymakers and advocates, we invite you to join us on Friday, June 5th for a webinar on ultraprocessed foods.

This Healthy Eating Research webinar will present findings from the HER Expert Panel report "Ultraprocessed Foods in the U.S.: Recommended Definitions and Policies." Speakers will discuss recommended definitions of ultraprocessed foods, methods to operationalize the definitions for policy purposes, and practical policies to reduce widespread availability and consumption of UPFs.

Learn more and register: https://bit.ly/4uIz9uv

HER’s Director and Deputy Director author a new viewpoint on the 2025-30 DGAs. Takeaways for children and families: the new DGAs provide limited guidance aimed at children and adolescents, several conflicting messages that will be confusing for families, and an emphasis on personal responsibility despite food environments that may not support healthy eating.

Read more of their viewpoint, including policy actions that could help shape the food environment and improve children's health:

A Pediatric Perspective on the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines | Healthy Eating Research Building Evidence to Prevent Childhood Obesity | A Pediatric Perspective on the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines

If you work in a food bank or pantry, the Rudd Center has a variety of tools that can help you implement the HER Nutrition Guidelines.

This webinar walks through how to use these tools and integrate the HER guidelines into your programs.

Building a Strong Foundation for Food as Medicine: HER Guidelines Implementation in the Charitable Food Network Let’s celebrate National Nutrition Month by advancing Food as Medicine and strengthening health and nutrition across the charitable food network using the Healthy Eating Research (HER) Nutrition Guidelines for the Charitable Food System! Whether you work in a food bank or a food pantry setting, ou...

New! We're pleased to share this resource, developed in partnership with Public Health Communications Collaborative, that provides a snapshot of the most recent changes to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).

It includes a summary of what to eat and limit, what has changed since the 2020 recommendations, and what to do about conflicting guidance.

https://buff.ly/u80EUri

Healthy Eating Research has released new expert‑informed recommendations on how ultraprocessed foods can be defined—and what advocates and policymakers can do to reduce their availability and consumption.

The guidance brings clarity to a complex issue and supports action to improve diet quality.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/UPFdefinition

New research from Child Trends highlights the role of home visiting programs in nutrition outcomes. Through a literature scan and conversations with home visitors, they find that home visiting programs are well-positioned to address nutrition, and some do provide nutrition-related support, but it remains a promising area for impact.

Home Visiting Nutrition Insights Read Home Visiting Nutrition Insights from Child Trends.

A new narrative review identified over 400 public policies aimed at identifying products with nonsugar sweeteners (NSS) and/or reducing NSS exposure.

The authors highlight potential high-impact options, such as bans or restrictions on use, excise taxes, and front-of-package warnings and disclosures.

Learn more:

Beyond Added Sugar Reduction: A Narrative Review of Policies to Address Nonsugar Sweeteners | Healthy Eating Research Building Evidence to Prevent Childhood Obesity | Beyond Added Sugar Reduction: A Narrative Review of Policies to Address Nonsugar Sweeteners

Do front-of-package "high-in" labels work for Latino adults in the U.S.?

The FDA has considered a "high-in" label for foods high in nutrients of concern (added sugar, saturated fat, and sodium). New research compares several front-of-pack label types among Latino adults - text "high-in" labels slightly improved identification of the least healthy foods, but only among higher English proficiency participants.

Learn more:

An RCT of Front-Of-Package Nutrition Labels in Latino Populations in the U.S | Healthy Eating Research Building Evidence to Prevent Childhood Obesity | An RCT of Front-Of-Package Nutrition Labels in Latino Populations in the U.S

A new scoping review evaluates the role of Farm to School programs in promoting healthy school environments.

Findings suggest that Farm to School programs can promote healthy dietary behaviors and positive food-related attitudes among students while providing an avenue to support equity in school nutrition.

Read more:

The Role of Farm to School Programs in Promoting Healthy School Food Environments in the United States: A Scoping Review of Child-Level Outcomes | Healthy Eating Research Building Evidence to Prevent Childhood Obesity | The Role of Farm to School Programs in Promoting Healthy School Food Environments in the United States: A Scoping Review of Child-Level Outcomes

A clear look at what proposed cuts to WIC cash value benefit means for families - less money for fruits and vegetables during pregnancy, postpartum, and early childhood (via Food Research & Action Center)

President’s Budget Calls for Cuts to Fruits, Vegetables Benefit for Mothers and Children in WIC - Food Research & Action Center Published April 10, 2025 On Friday, April 3,  President Trump released his proposed budget for fiscal year 2027. Despite the administration professing a commitment to making America healthy, this budget proposal would cut critical nutrition service for moms, babies, and children, dramatically slas...