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Full Plates, Full LivesFood Systems in a Growing Auburn

Food Policy Plan City of Auburn, Washington

Prepared byUniversity of Washington

June 2017

Prepared

June 2017

by the

University of Washingtonand the

Livable City Year

Student Authors:Brian CamozziJessica Canet

Jonathan JosephElise Rasmussen

Chan Qiu

UDP 562: Neighborhood Planning and Community DevelopmentRichard Conlin, Instructor/Editor

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1.0 INTRODUCTION 4

WHAT IS HEALTHY FOOD? 4WHY DO WE NEED A FOOD POLICY PLAN? 4WHAT IS THE FOOD POLICY PLAN? 4

2.0 AUBURN ASSESSMENT 6

2.1 CURRENT FOOD SYSTEMS 62.2 COMMUNITY RESOURCES 72.3 BARRIERS TO HEALTHY FOOD 112.3.1 SOCIOECONOMIC BARRIERS 112.3.2 GEOGRAPHIC BARRIERS 12

3.0 MISSION AND GOALS 16

MISSION 16GOALS 16REDUCE HEALTHY FOOD BARRIERS: 16PROMOTE HEALTHY FOOD CONSUMPTION: 16

4.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 17

4.1 INCREASE HEALTHY FOOD ACCESS AND DISTRIBUTION 174.1.1 FOOD ACCESSIBILITY 184.1.2 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND FOOD AVAILABILITY 184.1.3 INCREASE FOOD AFFORDABILITY 194.2 IMPROVE HEALTHY FOOD BEHAVIOR AND SKILLS 234.2.1 FOOD BEHAVIOR 234.2.2 FOOD SKILLS 244.2.3 FOOD INFRASTRUCTURE 25

5.0 PLAN VALIDATION 26

5.1 COMMUNITY HEALTH METRICS 275.1.1 OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS 275.1.2 MEASUREMENTS OF PROGRAM SUCCESS 275.2 ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES 315.3 COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AND VALIDATION 31

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 32

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1.0 Introduction

What is healthy food?There are many ways to define healthy food. To be effective, a policy must consider healthy food in a way that meets the diverse needs, definitions, and interests of all community members. This food policy plan uses a broad, simple, and encompassing definition, that healthy food is food comprised of fresh and nutritious ingredients. Such ingredients have high nutritional value and low caloric density, and this generally means emphasizing a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables as core to a healthy diet. Unhealthy food refers to foods and beverages that have low nutritional value and high caloric density, which generally includes most ‘fast foods’ and other convenience products.

Why do we need a food policy plan?Diets that are high in calories and low in nutritional value contribute to increased health care costs for community members. Often, foods and drinks that are unhealthy are the most readily available and frequently appear to be the most affordable. Healthier foods that are better for long-term health are often harder to find or appear to be costlier (because prices are not based on nutritional content). By making health the core criterion for food policies, the City of Auburn could foster a healthier and more prosperous community.

This food policy plan is in alignment with the City’s health goals for its community. A 2015 King County Healthy Needs Assessment showed that the Auburn community had lower rankings on many health measures than other areas of King County. In response, Mayor Backus formed the Blue Ribbon Committee, with the goal of transforming the City of Auburn into the healthiest city in Washington by 2020. This food policy plan specifically addresses the Blue Ribbon Committee’s focus on obesity in adults and children, since consumption of healthier foods can reduce rates of obesity. The consumption of healthy foods can also make a key contribution to the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases within the community.

What is the food policy plan?A team of graduate and undergraduate students, representing disciplines of urban planning and environmental engineering, created this food policy plan over the course of 12 weeks in a course designed as part of the work plan created by the City of Auburn, the University of Washington, and the Livable City Year Program.

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This food policy plan identifies challenges and strategies to creating a healthier Auburn through healthy food. The student team spoke to community members, leaders, and city officials to better understand and assess the food system and culture within Auburn. The team then identified specific strategies to improve the health of the community by increasing healthy food access and availability and improving healthy food behavior and skills.

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2.0 Auburn Assessment

2.1 Current Food SystemsIn 2014, the City of Auburn completed a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of its community. This assessment was intended to be incorporated as an element of the city’s Comprehensive Plan, with the goal of guiding the growth of the community towards having a positive impact on the health of its residents. The assessment identified that Auburn has “relatively poor community health outcomes.” Compared to other cities in King County, Auburn has the highest rates of diabetes, obesity and inactivity. Auburn also has one of the lowest life expectancies of any city in King County.

A core specific component of the HIA was assessing the food system in Auburn. The assessment identified some strengths within the community, but also outlined shortcomings that have a significant impact on the health of its residents. Community gardens have helped increase the variety of healthy food options for residents, and are a positive step towards achieving a healthier city. However, these are generally located in the downtown area, far from many marginalized communities that need programs like community gardens the most. Unhealthy food options are readily available and influence the decisions of teens and adults alike. Financial hardships continue to influence food decisions made by community members. Consumption patterns of the community have created a culture that accepts unhealthy foods as a viable meal choice. These factors present significant challenges in creating a healthy environment in Auburn.

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2.2 Community Resources

The HIA identified multiple stakeholders within the food system, who collectively have made a significant positive impact on the health of the community. They also identified partnerships within the city that have worked to abate some of the health issues facing the Auburn community. Our reconnaissance allowed us to explore these relationships and identify key factors that may impact the food system. Building on the guidance of the HIA, follow up conversations were conducted with the Auburn Food Bank, YMCA, Teen and Senior Community Centers, Auburn School District and Nexus Youth Center. This provided us with insight about food security issues facing much of the community. Mapping and street network exploration provided an indication of the circulation networks of residents as they correlate with

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grocery and food service locations. The knowledge gained from our visit to Auburn helped us gain a better understanding of what problems face the community, and what changes we can implement that may have a positive impact on the health of Auburn’s residents.

During our reconnaissance, multiple members of the community identified the Auburn Food Bank as a fundamental part of the Auburn food system. Providing meals for over 600 families on a weekly basis, the food bank keeps its pulse on the food security issues facing many individuals in the community. Debbie Christian, the director of the food bank shared some of her experience in Auburn. Having directed the food bank for more than 10 years, she has seen the need in the community change over time. It’s not just about handing food out, “sometimes you have to teach people how to eat,” (Debbie Christian, 2017). She explained that many patrons do not know many produce items that are common in mainstream European-American culture. Sometimes she introduces these by providing recipe cards or suggestions. She also has cooking demonstrations and classes to help educate the community. She shows off some products by snacking on them in front of patrons, just to demonstrate that these items are edible. Debbie is one of many who are working on educating the community on healthy food items. An increase in food knowledge, specifically the capacity to identify an array of produce items, helps increase accessibility to many residents. What some consider “typical” root vegetables like parsnips or turnips, commonly used in some European-American households, generally healthy alternatives, and readily available locally, may be unfamiliar to people from other cultural backgrounds. Increasing the produce recognition capacity of residents is a strength that will help transform Auburn into a healthier community.

The addition of the Teen Center at the Les Gove campus is a positive step in providing more healthy options to teens within the community. A partnership with the school district provides a healthy snack option to each child. Activities like smoothie preps and cooking lessons help teens identify healthy food options. By increasing the confidence, skill, and ability to recognize a diverse array of food items at an early age, programs help nurture healthy eating habits. Even the design of the building encourages healthy lifestyles by allowing access to Les Gove Park, which provides plenty of green space for outdoor recreational activities.

These are all strengths geared towards increasing the health of the community, yet, they have a limited ability to make the desired impact. In speaking to Brie Harris, a supervisor of the teen program, she explained that they try to get the teens to eat healthy options but she noted some of the challenges her staff face. “It’s hard sometimes when the students can run to a fast food restaurant on their way here and spend a few bucks to get an unhealthy meal that’s inexpensive, and fills them up” (Brie Harris, 2017). Specifically, she shared that many students from low-income families see fast food places as the best option to get a meal. It’s a quick, fast, cheap and effortless way to get food that will fill you up.

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Other stakeholders we spoke with shared this concern. Jason Berry, the director of the YMCA spoke to the lack of food options as a significant problem. He also serves on the Human Services Advisory Board for the city of Auburn, which focuses on creating a healthy environment. A pilot program partnering the YMCA and the Auburn School District is targeted towards reducing the number of community members who are affected by diabetes. This program operates in two schools within the Auburn School District and works on increasing food knowledge.

One step the pilot program has implemented to increase knowledge is placing community gardens on school grounds. The gardens are supported with a curriculum that allows students to interact with the environment and use the gardens to grow their own food. Community gardens work as anchors in learning environments, teaching students about the source of food and the nutritional value it represents. Food recognition increases and students learn to identify new food products they may not have known about before. Some students have even shared that they previously had not known that vegetables grow on plants.

Carol Barker, the Director of Child Nutrition Services for the Auburn School District, is responsible for 1200-1800 student meals a day across the School District. Her food program has a direct link with a sizable portion of the community, and can have a significant impact on the food culture within the community. Availability of products, budget cuts, and the restricted buying authority of schools have limited the amount of food choices they can provide to their student body. In turn students are not learning healthy eating habits, and are likely to be developing a skewed relationship with food. They only become familiar with a smaller variety of food choices that are accessible within an allotted budget. Food choices may not be made because of their caloric intake or nutritional value, but more often because they are inexpensive.

School community gardens have had some success in easing the financial constraints that may limit the choices involving fresh produce. Gardens increase food knowledge and support healthy food options. The garden program, however, is too new to be able to ascertain results that are backed up by meaningful data, but Carol sees a cultural shift beginning to happen within the school community. Carol identified some areas where she sees need for improvement. While Carol has maintained a personal relationship with many of the food suppliers from the district, she also identifies an opportunity to deepen relationships with local farmers. Federal funding is constrained through the GAP certification program, which only allows those dollars to be spent at GAP certified farms. Although the process to get certified is not onerous, it takes time and is perceived as a barrier by many small farmers. Northwest Agricultural Business Center has recognized this as an issue for many in the region and has a program to help farmers understand and master the GAP certification process. The limited number of GAP certified farms has forced Carol to partner with other farming communities outside of Auburn. Although the school would

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prefer to use local Auburn produce, without GAP certification it has been a challenge to be an economic support to local community farmers.

Like Carol, many Auburn residents must go to a different location to get their grocery needs. Mapping data shows a higher concentration of grocery stores within the downtown corridor. There are some satellite grocery locations throughout the other neighborhoods, but there is a significant shortage of grocery store locations within the south-east portion of the city (Grocery Store Distribution, Table 1.1).

Many residents find it convenient to visit neighboring cities like Kent, Federal Way and Algona-Pacific to do their grocery shopping. Food choices for many residents are made because of convenience, like the teens who visit fast food chains before going to the Teen Rec Center. Rather than making a trip to a local grocer and buying healthier food options, prepared food retailers become a convenient choice. Residents that do not work typical office hours have few grocery options open during the late hours. If hungry, many of their choices are fast food chains that do have extended hours.

Low-income communities are more negatively affected by the lack of grocery outlets. Financial restraints can become more apparent, especially when families must budget trips to maximize the use of their vehicle. Smaller trips to a grocery store would be a limited option if you would need to travel more than a mile. The additional cost of fresh produce may also influence many meal decisions. For a family of four it may be more expensive to buy fresh produce and cook a meal, rather than purchasing a prepared meal. Prepared meals are not only convenient for families, but are now used as a budgeting tool. With economic strains still affecting many families in Auburn, solutions to stretch the value of a dollar become easier choices to make. It has become an increasing challenge for low income families to purchase fresh produce that will enable them to have a healthier diet.

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2.3 Barriers to Healthy FoodUnderstanding the specific challenges and barriers to healthy food consumption of residents is key to creating a healthier Auburn. This section was formed by speaking to community members and organization leaders including Debbie Christian, Executive Director of the Auburn Food Bank, Bree Harris, Outreach Specialist of the Teen Rec Center, and Carla Hopkins, Regional Manager of the Auburn Branch King County Library System. These conversations brought insight to the types of challenges that Auburn residents specifically face regarding healthier diets.

2.3.1 Socioeconomic Barriers

Time Constraints

Conversations with community members confirm that many residents of Auburn, like most Americans, commute to and from work, leaving them with little time or energy to cook their own meals. With this commuter lifestyle, faster food options, often unhealthy foods, are more accessible and convenient. Availability of an adequate number of accessible and convenient food sources offering healthy food options is insufficient to address the constraints of the commuter lifestyle. Throughout Auburn, unhealthy foods are more available in places where people work, live, learn, and play, making them a more convenient option for commuters.

Financial Constraints

Food affordability is defined as the ability to buy most or all of the healthy food desired with the amount of money available. This is an issue for Auburn’s low-income community members as well as those without access to a vehicle. Often healthier foods cost significantly more than unhealthy options. Small-town grocery stores, corner stores, or convenience stores in low-income communities may offer limited amounts of healthy foods at higher prices. Lower income individuals may not have enough money to afford healthy food. Residents who are reliant on public transportation may also have costs in time and accessibility that they cannot afford.

In addition, lower income individuals may not have the infrastructure needed to support the consumption of healthy foods. Community members with smaller housing or no housing may lack the space needed to store fresh produce. Their refrigerators may be too small, or they may not have access to one (this is especially likely among families that live in mobile homes or similar situations). Debbie Christian stated that some Food Bank users reject bulk foods because they do not have enough storage space. Community members may also lack a proper kitchen to cook their own meals. The Food Bank does not give foods that need to be cooked to unhoused community members, aware that they do not have the means to cook and prepare these foods.

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Cultural Constraints

Many Americans face challenges in developing and using healthy food skills, the ability to try, select, and prepare healthy foods. Occasionally, culture and ethnicity can affect food skills. For example, if an ingredient is uncommon in a certain culture, then people of that culture are often reluctant to try that food. Or, a healthy food that is common to a culture may not be readily available. A conversation with Debbie Christian, the Auburn Food Bank Director, revealed that food bank users often reject foods that they are unfamiliar with. In summary, there are different cultural familiarities with various foods that can limit people’s abilities to use products, even if they are provided at little or no cost.

Insufficient food skills can also result in limitations on healthy food options, especially in an area where healthy food options are sparse compared to unhealthy food options. Local grocery stores may have a limited variety of healthy food options, and residents may be unwilling to try the available foods or lacking in knowledge on how to prepare those foods. In a diverse city such as Auburn, there may be residents who are culturally unfamiliar with healthy foods that are locally available and lack the food skills to properly include it in their diet.

2.3.2 Geographic BarriersThe seven geographic districts within the City can be categorized into two types: The Auburn valley floor (North Auburn, South Auburn, and Downtown) and the hill districts (West Hill, Lea Hill, Lakeland, and Southeast Auburn).

West Hill was recently annexed and is characterized by large single family dwelling units. It is isolated by SR 167 and the BNSF and Union Pacific rail corridors, with a few road crossings to the North Auburn neighborhood. The West Hill neighborhood does not have any grocery stores or fresh produce providers within its boundaries. Interviews with community members reveal that many West Hill residents travel via personal automobile to Federal Way for grocery shopping. West Hill residents do not seem to experience as many barriers to healthy food options, although they have been categorized as a health focus area by the Health Impact Assessment because of their higher than average proportion of youth, minority, and low-English proficiency speakers.

North Auburn, which contains Downtown, is a mix of industry and residences, both single family and multi-family. Two large grocery stores are located west of Valley Cities, a housing project, while a handful of large grocery stores are located Downtown. Valley Cities and the Auburn Food Bank are both in North Auburn. North Auburn is the district with the highest rates of poverty and zero car households. It also has higher than average minority, youth, and low-English proficiency speakers. According to the HIA, these residents are among those that

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experience the most barriers to access to goods and services in Auburn and are at elevated risk for poor health.

Lea Hill is a residential area consisting of mostly single-family dwelling units with a few apartment complexes. The Green River College campus is also within Lea Hill. This district has a single, small grocery store within its boundaries. Residents in Lea Hill North and near Green River College are noted in the HIA as at elevated risk for poor health. Communication with community members has indicated that Green River College students who do not have cars and live in Lea Hill South have trouble accessing services and goods. Lea Hill residents experience some access barriers, and Green River College students experience them to the greatest extent.

The Plateau district is shaped by the Muckleshoot Reservation. A dominant business in the Plateau is the Muckleshoot Casino, with a range of single family residences and a few apartment complexes in the vicinity. The Plateau has limited sources of fresh produce: one grocery store, the Day N Night Grocery, which is a small shop, and the Muckleshoot Market & Deli, another small shop intended for quick visits. The Plateau has higher than average proportions of seniors, minorities, those in poverty, and those without a car. As suggested by the HIA, these residents are at elevated risk for poor health. It is also important to note that the nearest grocery store to the Plateau is in Downtown.

South Auburn is a mix of commercial and residential land use. Its residences include single-family homes, apartment complexes, and a mobile home park. Within South Auburn is a single grocery store, Albertsons; however, grocery stores such as Grocery Outlet and Fred Meyer are just north of the district. Residents of South Auburn have been identified by the HIA as experiencing more access barriers and as having extremely high risk for poor health. These residents include higher proportions of minority populations, low-English proficiency residents, seniors, and youth under 18 than other districts of Auburn. While South Auburn has some healthy food sources, it has a poorly connected grid with incomplete sidewalk connections. Residents of South Auburn may also experience more mobility barriers and therefore be unable to reach nearby grocery stores.

Southeast Auburn has single family homes with large lots, creating a very low-density population. It is bounded by the White River to the North and has a large open gravel mine to the northwest - both of which act as transportation barriers. There are no grocery stores within the district boundaries nor are there bus lines that provide good service to the area. Though food distribution and public transportation in this area are sparse, it is not considered a health focus area and populations are not considered to be in greater risk for poor health because it does not have higher than average rates of youth, minority, seniors, or low-English proficiency speakers.

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Lakeland Hills is characterized by residential land use. It is somewhat densely packed with single family homes and some apartment complexes. It has a single grocery store on its southern edge, Haggen Food & Pharmacy. While food distribution is sparse, just as with Southeast Auburn, residents of Lakeland Hills are not considered to be in greater risk for poor health nor do they experience greater than average access barriers because they do not have higher than average rates of youth, minority, seniors, or low-English proficiency speakers.

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Table 1. This table was created using Google’s transit mapping function. Analysis was done from neighborhood center to the destination at 5:30 pm, when there would be more traffic, or at about the time that residents would most often commute home.

Neighborhood Distance to Grocery Store

Travel Time with Car

Travel Time on Bus

Grocery Store

West Hill3.8 mi 20 min 65 min

Trader Joe'sFederal Way

3.5 mi 20 min 60 minFred Meyer

Downtown Auburn

North Auburn1.2 mi 5 min 10 min

Saar's Super Saver North Auburn


Downtown Auburn

Lea Hill3.5 mi 10 min 25 min

Trader Joe's Kent


Downtown Auburn

Lea Hill - Green River College3.8 mi 15 min 15 min

Trader Joe's Kent


Downtown Auburn

Plateau3.8 mi 20 min 30 min

Fred Meyer Downtown Auburn

3.3 mi 10 min 45 minAlbertsons

South Auburn

South Auburn2.5 mi 15 min 20 min

Fred Meyer Downtown Auburn

1.5 mi 10 min 20 minAlbertsons

South Auburn

Southeast Auburn3.6 mi 15 min N/A

Albertsons South Auburn

6.0 mi 25 min N/AFred Meyer

Downtown Auburn

Lakeland Hills

0.6 mi 5 min 10 minHaggen Food & Pharmacy

Lakeland Hills


Sumner


Downtown Auburn

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3.0 Mission and Goals

MissionCreate a healthier Auburn with a food system that, by design, promotes the consumption of fresh and healthy foods, reduces barriers to healthy foods, and fosters a stronger sense of community and economic empowerment in Auburn residents.

Goals

Reduce Healthy Food Barriers:

To increase food accessibility for community members, especially more vulnerable community members such as seniors or youth.

To increase food availability by increasing the geographic distribution of healthy food options while empowering local businesses and entrepreneurs.

To increase food affordability by increasing healthy food sources and supporting community gardens.

Promote Healthy Food Consumption:

To improve healthy food behavior by redefining “health” and “healthy food” for the community through proper marketing.

To improve food skills of community members through education programs that teach residents the proper skills they need to choose, prepare, and cook healthy meals.

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4.0 RecommendationsWe have provided a list of our recommendations below. We have categorized each of our recommendations by planning horizon: short-term, medium-term, and long-term. These estimates reflect our own assessment, and will need to be reviewed by City personnel.

Key

Short-term [ST] 1-2 years

Medium-term [MT] 2-5 years

Long-term [LT] More than 5 years

*An asterisk denotes projects in which we expect an outside organization to lead the project.

4.1 Increase Healthy Food Access and Distribution

4.1.1 Food Accessibility[MT*] The Community Services Division should encourage a partnership between local CSAs, grocery stores, the Auburn Food Bank, and others to pilot a produce and basic grocery delivery system for residents with mobility and access issues.

● Though several agencies (including the Auburn Food Bank and Muckleshoot’s Elders in Home Support Services) offer some grocery delivery services to their clients, an expanded program could reach more members of the community.

● [ST*] A basic version of the strategy could include grocery or personal hygiene items currently in stock at local grocery stores, CSAs, or foodbank. With the right partners, the program could be used to deliver packages of groceries as well as easy-to-cook recipes targeted to those packages (for instance, a turkey taco night kit) to demonstrate how to prepare various healthy meals.

● [MT*] A more robust version of this strategy would include a catalog of selected food and grocery items from which customers can place their delivery order. The selection would include CSA produce and healthy food items, as well as a selection of dry goods, toiletries, and other basic grocery items.

● [ST?/MT*] Partnering with the Muckleshoot Tribe and others to provide delivery 17

services to areas of the city with little or no healthy food access should be a high priority for this service. This pilot service can serve as a proof of concept for city-wide adoption.

● If the service is made available to the public on a sliding fee scale, it could capitalize on existing home-delivery trends for a prosocial purpose. The program may be able to use service fees from higher-income clients to subsidize grocery and delivery costs for clients with affordability issues. If the program and its partners adopted this strategy, great care should be taken not to present the program as unaffordable to lower-income clients.

● [MT*] Grant funding for this project may be available through the King County Joint Human Services Funding Consortium. The Community Services Division should consider engaging the Consortium cities to develop a unified program.

[LT*] Support, promote, and improve Auburn’s paratransit and community ride services so families can reliably travel to and from local grocery stores and other activity centers.

● King County Metro partners with Sound Generations to provide community ride services for Auburn. Though the City has limited responsibility for this service, the Community Services Division and the Public Works Division should work with the service providers to enhance the community ride program as recommended below.

● [ST*] Expand the reservation system to allow passengers to schedule rides online, by telephone, or by text message.

● [MT*] Increase or redistribute service hours to include evenings, early mornings, and weekends to accommodate shift workers and others who cannot use the services during weekday hours.

● [ST*] Market the service to emphasize its user-friendliness and a personal approach. Improve existing printed and online advertising materials to show potential passengers what to expect from the service, such as a photograph of the van, boarding and payment procedures, short introductions to the drivers, and reviews from past users.

4.1.2 Economic Development and Food Availability[MT/LT] Building on existing City policies calling for ground-floor restaurant and retail uses in mixed-use developments, the City’s Economic Development Team should encourage mixed-use and multifamily residential developers and property owners to include healthy restaurants and grab-and-go options for residents and the public. In addition to encouraging storefront food vendors, the Team may encourage existing and future food businesses that serve grab-and-go food via cart, kiosk, or truck in or near multifamily residential developments.

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[ST] The Economic Development Team should explicitly include the food and grocery sector in the City’s Ten-Year Economic Strategic Plan.

[MT] The City should expand existing programs that mitigate business startup costs to encourage new businesses and restaurants emphasizing nutritious food to locate throughout Auburn. The Economic Development Team should explore creating a “Food Enterprise Zone.” Like the Innovation Partnership Zone focused on industrial development, the Food Enterprise Zone would be one potential approach to collaborate with farmers, restaurants, and other food providers to expand food options within a specific geographic area (perhaps the entire City). In the long term, the Zone may develop Auburn into a hub for farming and food products businesses.

[ST] The City Council should adopt a city-wide definition for “healthy” and/or “nutritious” food to be used when assessing incentives for new business and restaurants. These words may mean different things to different stakeholders, and the City Council should provide clarity so that residents and businesses can adjust accordingly. A good definition may identify several complex factors (e.g. nutrition content, level of processing, local sourcing, and others) rather than drawing an arbitrary line between “healthy” and “unhealthy.” Adopting an existing definition from the state or federal government may be the least contentious approach.

[MT/LT*] Explore partnerships with the Auburn School District, Auburn Public Library, Green River College, Junior Achievement Program, and others to create practical culinary and management training programs for high school and college students, culminating in opening and maintaining a new local restaurant or healthy food business concept.

[ST/MT] The City’s Economic Development Team should work with local farms to encourage them to achieve GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certification so that the Auburn School District and the Auburn Food Bank can use federal grant funds to purchase their products. The City may engage with and refer farmers to the Northwest Agricultural Business Center, which offers programs to help farmers become GAP certified.

[MT*] The City’s Economic Development Team should partner with the Chamber of Commerce to encourage local businesses that offer healthy grab-and-go options (including drive-throughs in appropriate areas) and that are open early or late to accommodate local shift workers. A group of these businesses could coordinate to ensure one is open early (before 6AM) or late (after 9PM) each day of the week.

[ST] The City’s Economic Development Team should assess the state of “cottage” food businesses in Auburn. This assessment may identify ways to encourage and support local in-home food businesses, such as connecting them with vendors and venues or amending regulations regarding marketing from home to allow visibility for businesses while retaining protections that prevent such marketing from becoming excessively obtrusive.

[ST] The Parks, Arts, and Recreation Department should create a city-wide inventory of 19

commercial kitchens that can be rented out for special events or for cottage food industry uses. Kitchen facilities rented out by the City should be listed and advertised on the City’s facilities rental webpage, and the City should consider providing contact information for private kitchens that are available for rent. Residents should be able to rent one of the City’s commercial kitchens without also renting a banquet room.

[LT*] The Community Services Division should partner with the Auburn School District to explore funding options that would allow the District to expand universal free school breakfast and provide universal free school lunch to eliminate burdensome application processes and the embarrassment of receiving an “emergency lunch.” The City and the District should seek out local businesses, community organizations, and others doing philanthropic work pertaining to youth achievement and advancement who might be able to contribute to this effort. City and school district officials should advocate for universal school lunch programs and funding at the state and federal level.

[MT] Recognizing that grocery stores prefer to locate in areas with a strong customer base of families, the City’s Economic Development Team can encourage businesses that attract families (such as childcare centers) close to locations that may eventually support a grocery store.

4.1.3 Increase Food AffordabilitySupport Auburn’s local farming community as a source of healthy food in Auburn, and encourage increased connections between Auburn’s farms, restaurants, grocery stores, and consumers.

[ST] Permit growers to engage in direct sales to Auburn residents, including allowing farmers to build and operate sales kiosks on farm property. Auburn has already enacted good standards for agricultural enterprises within Auburn’s residential conservancy zones that allow for farm stands, stores, coffee stands, and other accessory uses (ACC 18.31.210). However, many commercial-scale farms are just outside the City limits. The Economic Development Team, in conjunction with the Department of Community Planning and Public Works, should explore how to encourage these nearby farmers to focus their direct sales efforts on Auburn residents. For instance, the Team can facilitate partnerships between County farms and City agricultural enterprises to have County farm products resold in the agricultural enterprises’ farm stands. The Team may also work with cottage food processors in Auburn to help them identify local farm sources as part of their business expansion strategy.

[MT] The Community Planning Division should develop (or allow businesses to develop) a network of semi-permanent sales kiosks in parking lots or other areas around the city. Each kiosk can function as a miniature farmers’ market, allowing growers and cottage food producers to reserve time at the kiosk and market their products directly to the public. Kiosks can be strategically located in areas that lack

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easy access to full-service grocery stores, filling in food access gaps across the city.

Support and expand the availability and attractiveness of community gardens city-wide, as a way for residents to grow their own food while learning new skills and spending time outside.

● [ST] The Department of Parks, Arts, and Recreation should create a community garden plan, including an inventory of available city and private land that is used or can be used as a community garden space. The plan should also explore ways to use the community gardens as part of horticulture education courses, with an emphasis on seniors and families.

● [ST/MT] In conjunction with the Neighborhood Programs Manager, the Department of Parks, Arts, and Recreation should encourage potential Neighborhood Matching Fund applicants to propose projects that improve existing community gardens and develop new community gardens across the city. Funding should prioritize low-income neighborhoods and areas in Auburn with restricted access to fresh produce.

● [MT] The Parks Department should create a program to manage community gardens and recruit residents to use, improve, and maintain them. The Department may be able to partner with the Auburn School District, food bank, and other community organizations for program management and volunteer labor.

Explore business interest in programs and events that will provide healthy, inexpensive food options to families while marketing local restaurant options in Auburn.

● [MT/LT*] Working with the Chamber of Commerce, Auburn Downtown Association, and other community and business organizations, the City’s Economic Development Team and Community Services staff should develop strategies to encourage and incentivize restaurants and other food providers to provide more healthy food options and to source their ingredients locally. The City should look to a new or existing organization of food businesses that can market and support members focusing on healthy and locally-sourced food. A Food Enterprise Zone, if created, may also play a role in helping to vertically integrate Auburn’s farm-to-fork supply chain.

● [MT] The Economic Development and Community Services staff, in conjunction with business groups as discussed above, should explore strategies to encourage and incentivize restaurants and other food providers to provide recipes and preparation demonstrations for healthy meals and snacks.

● [MT] The Economic Development and Community Services staff, in conjunction with business groups as discussed above, should encourage restaurants to source specialty food products from local farms and grocers, and use menu descriptions to advise customers of their patronage of these local businesses.

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● [MT*] One option is a “Fifteen Dollar Family Dinner” program in which a different restaurant each month would create an inexpensive and healthy family meal. A take-out meal, like a “family meal” at a fast food restaurant, might contain a large, shareable entree dish with a selection of sides. A dine-in meal could be served in a similar “family style” to allow families to be flexible in distributing portions. Buffets or other high-volume, inexpensive healthy food options may also be appropriate. This program gives families across the region an incentive to try out Auburn’s restaurants, and it will expand the number of Auburn families who can afford to eat out at all. Customers can learn new recipes and food preparations they can use at home, and restaurants can win new repeat customers.

[MT] The City’s Economic Development Team should explore ways to increase City support for local storefront groceries, especially those featuring specialty products from different cultural groups.

The Parks, Arts, and Recreation Department should expand the Auburn Farmers’ Market to improve its reach and its role in the community

● [ST] Evaluate the possibility of expanding the farmers’ market to a year-round program.

● [ST] Consider rotating the market among different locations such as Les Gove Park, Sunset Park, and Lea Hill Park.

● [MT] Explore interest in expanding the Farmers’ Market into a “cultural bazaar” that includes both food and non-food products and events to attract a wider variety of vendors and customers and fund expansion to a full-year, multi-venue public market. Prepared food, cookware, dishware, specialty clothing, arts, antiques, gifts, and other items add to the diversity and visual interest of the vending stands. A larger market could support entertainment programming such as traditional cultural dancing, local bands and buskers, and school groups such as color guard. These performances in turn will attract more patrons to the market.

[MT/LT*] The Community Services Division, in conjunction with the Auburn School District, should support the District’s child nutrition and wellness missions by pursuing funding and grant opportunities to add additional staff positions oriented toward community work and programming.

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4.2 Improve Healthy Food Behavior and Skills

4.2.1 Food Behavior[ST*] Partner with King County Public Health to develop a city-wide marketing strategy to promote nutritious dietary options and habits.

[ST/MT] The Auburn Community Services Division and the Parks, Arts and Recreation Department should consider developing food-focused events and festivals, or incorporating additional food-related components into existing City events such as the Farmers Market. These events can celebrate the many culinary traditions of Auburn residents through creative themes and community volunteer efforts.

● [ST] The City can suggest to prospective applicants that neighborhood food events would be a good use of Neighborhood Matching Fund grants.

● [ST/MT] Some events could celebrate specific cultures and culinary traditions, or even combine different traditions to promote cultural interactions and help Auburn residents learn about their diverse neighbors.

● [ST] Build on existing food events and festivals to include healthy fusion meals that explore cuisine from cultures found in Auburn to expose residents to a wide variety of fresh ingredients.

● [ST] Competitions, games, and fun projects focused on healthy food options can attract and educate children and families. For example, the City could sponsor a cooking contest where teams compete to create the best fusion dishes from two different culinary traditions, with the winning dish being served at a special event or incorporated into a local restaurant’s menu.

[ST/MT*] Use existing resources such as the Rec Teen Center to recruit teens who are interested in gaining culinary experience. Groups of teens could help cook and cater for community events and for seniors. The program may focus on volunteerism and provide in-kind compensation such as passes to the Teen Center, or it could emphasize practical experience and provide paid work opportunities.

● The Rec Teen Center has access to a commercial kitchen and is next door to the Auburn Senior Activity Center and Les Gove Park. These facilities already hold numerous events throughout the year. The Rec Teen Center staff have expressed interest in developing opportunities for teens to cook healthy food, and would be an ideal venue for a pilot program. The City’s Community Services division and Parks, Arts, and Recreation Department should partner with the Rec Teen Center in sharing

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resources. This pilot service done through after school programming at the Rec Teen Center could serve as a proof of concept for adoption by other youth groups and organizations.

● Partner with local businesses, community organizations, and others doing philanthropic work pertaining to youth achievement and advancement for funding opportunities. Consider organizations such as the Junior Achievement Program and its existing sponsors.

4.2.2 Food Skills[ST] Use Neighborhood Matching Fund grants to provide starter garden kits for home garden use, including seasonally-appropriate seeds, containers for indoor use, basic gardening tools, and instructions and advice for planting and caring for a small garden. These can be made available at local home and garden stores for pickup in a manner similar to the existing Graffiti Abatement Program.

Create and expand education programs that will teach residents of all ages how to grow and prepare healthy foods.

● [MT] Initiate an extension program through the City’s Park, Arts, and Recreation Department to develop horticulture and culinary programs for children, adults, and families of all skill levels. The City can partner with Mountain View Senior High’s horticulture program as a proof of concept for city-wide adoption. Other possible partners may include Washington State University and the King Conservation District.

● [LT*] Promote partnerships among senior high schools and lower schools to implement a culinary program in which older students teach younger students to make healthy snacks using inexpensive ingredients. Possible partnerships include the Rec Teen Center, Senior Center, Auburn School District, and Auburn Food Bank. This could be achieved through the Auburn School District’s nutrition and wellness initiatives.

● [ST*] The City should approach the Auburn Public Library and encourage them to implement a crowd-sourced nutritious meal and snack recipe exchange that can be a part of the library’s programming. The recipes can also be distributed in the Auburn Public Library, schools, and community centers.

[LT*] Augment existing health curricula in Auburn Public Schools to include an extensive K-12 nutrition curriculum. This could be achieved through the Auburn School District’s nutrition and wellness initiatives.

[MT/LT*] Partner with local community organizations to implement new and existing initiatives 24

focused on food systems projects and funding. Partnerships can include Leadership Institute of South Puget Sound, Auburn Adventist Academy, and the Blue-Ribbon Committee.

● [ST/MT] As part of an “Auburn Welcome Package” for new residents, ensure that all local food programs, as well as local food providers of all types, are featured in the materials. Local businesses could place advertisements in the packet, defraying the cost to the City. A coupon booklet directed toward healthy food options and gardening products that are available at various businesses could be included within the packet.

4.2.3 Food Infrastructure [MT/LT] To improve access to reliable food storage, the Community Services staff could partner with mobile home parks to provide cold storage facilities accessible to all residents. This may include encouraging mobile home parks or their residents to apply for a Neighborhood Matching Fund grant.

[ST/MT] Use the Neighborhood Matching Fund to provide starter cookware/cutlery in individual households.

[MT] The City should explore incentive mechanisms for individuals willing to donate functioning refrigerators, freezers, or other cold storage options. City Utilities currently offers curbside pickup of bulky items such as refrigerators for a service fee; this fee could be waived or reimbursed if a working appliance is donated. Retail appliance stores may also be able to accept and donate trade-in appliances. Donated appliances may then be used to provide cold storage at mobile home parks and elsewhere.

[LT*] Include food pantry facilities as well as personal cold food storage options for individual users at any day-shelter facilities, so that unhoused residents can store their own supply of fresh fruits and vegetables.

[LT*} The City should work with the King County Housing Authority to improve and expand facilities at the Auburn Food Bank to better serve patrons and provide space for its many initiatives and programs. This may include selecting a satellite location for the Auburn Food Bank that will allow it to equitably distribute and market programming and services city-wide. The KCHA provides Auburn Food Bank with a facility at little to no cost, but the facility is aging and is not easily accessible from all parts of Auburn. Direct City support for the Auburn Food Bank’s facility needs would require capital investment, but the City could multiply the effectiveness of its investment by using the Food Bank’s point position in Auburn’s social services network to cluster complementary services in the same facility. Clustering wraparound services limits transportation pressure on clients and increases the chance of a successful “warm

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handoff” between service providers.

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5.0 Plan Validation The recommendations for the Auburn food plan should be evaluated after implementation through measuring both direct health outcomes and the level of implementation of specific program elements. The community health recommendations provide guidance to improve community population-based health outcomes through City actions related to healthy food. Direct health outcomes would be used as the most direct determinants. Since there may be numerous other factors that could influence health outcomes, the measurement of program accomplishments would be a useful complementary method for evaluating the program. These program accomplishments are the key elements detailed below as indicators of success in promoting healthy food sources options, healthy food affordability, and healthy food consumption. Understanding how these determinants of healthy food influence the community members’ abilities to make healthy choices would then suggest ways in which to develop adaptive strategies for City actions that might improve access to healthy food sources and other elements of this proposal.

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5.1 Community Health Metrics5.1.1 Outcome Measurements

Impact Magnitude Base

Obesity Rates 35%

Life Expectancy 78.4 years

Diabetes Rates 25.6 out of 100,000

(The base data comes from King County City Health Profile Auburn)This data is collected by both the federal government and Public Health Seattle and King County, as noted in the HIA.

5.1.2 Measurements of Program SuccessFood Sources Provided (Options)

Impact Magnitude

What we are evaluating Positive = Changes that may increase healthy food optionsNegative = Changes that may decrease the healthy food optionsNo effect = No effect on healthy food options

High = Impacts to many peopleMedium = Impacts to some people Low = Impacts to no or very few people

Healthy Food Options Provided in Restaurants

Healthy Food Provided by Food Bank

Direct Sales from Growers to Residents

Community Gardens, Cottage Farms

Storefront Groceries

Farmers Market

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Ease of Start-up for New Healthy Food Business

Measure Suggestions

1. Healthy Food Options Provided in Restaurants: Based on recommendation 4.1.2, the City Council should use the federal definition for “healthy” and/or “nutritious” food to assess incentives for new business and restaurants. Metrics can be measured monthly considering not only restaurant options but also grab and go options for healthy food.

2. Healthy Food Provided by Food Bank: The Auburn Food Bank should categorize their foods provision based on the definition of healthy food. Measure monthly.

3. Direct Sales from Growers to Residents: if possible, statistics for sales from growers to residents should be compiled. Measure monthly.

4. Number of Community Gardens, Cottage Farms: Community gardens and cottage farms should be documented in city records. Measure annually.

5. Number of Storefront Groceries: Measure annually.

6. Farmers Market: This metric can be measured based on the healthy food options and the amount of healthy food sales at the Farmers Market. Measure monthly.

7. Ease of Start-up for Healthy Food Business: This metric can be measured based on business startup cost. A survey for start-up business owners with some qualitative questions about the difficulties and challenges of City regulations and administration would be a good way to assess this.

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Access to Healthy Food

Impact Magnitude

What we are evaluating

Positive = Changes that may increase convenience for people to access healthy foodNegative = Changes that may decrease convenience for people to access healthy foodNo effect = No effect on convenience for people to access healthy food


Grocery and Healthy Food Delivery System

City Paratransit and Community Ride Services

Affordability of Healthy Food

Measure Suggestions:

1. Grocery and Healthy Food Delivery System: Can be measured based on number of times Auburn Food Bank, Muckleshoot’s Elders in Home Support Services and CSAs operate and the amount of people these delivery programs cover. Measure monthly.

2. City Paratransit and Community Ride Services: Can be measured based on car ride reservation systems, available service hours, and how many people are using the services (may be some way to measure and examine the marketing outcome for the transit service). Measure monthly.

3. Affordability of Healthy Food: Could be measured by the cost per one gram edible portion of healthy foods. The same method was used in the 2001–2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey by USDA. Measure annually.

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Healthy Food Consumption

Impact Magnitude

What we are evaluating

Positive = Changes that may improve healthy food consumptionNegative = Changes that may detract from healthy food consumptionNo effect = No effect on healthy food consumption


Healthy Food Focused Events

Healthy Food Education Programs

K-12 Nutrition Curriculum

Community Kitchen Access

Food Pantry Facilities

Measure Suggestions:

1. Healthy Food Focused Events: how many food-focused events and festivals are held and how many people take part in these events. Measure annually.

2. Healthy Food Education Programs: Ideal way is to send out a knowledge question survey form (the questions would be based on for example easy-to-cook recipes that’s sent out with the groceries delivery packages) to see how well people are absorbing the knowledge. Measure annually.

3. K-12 Nutrition Curriculum: Weekly hours of Nutrition class in K-12 school and exam grades for these classes. Measure annually.

4. Community Kitchen Access: Number of community kitchens available for public use and how many hours available weekly. Measure annually.

5. Food Pantry Facilities: Days of operation of food pantry facilities and personal cold food storage options for individual users at any day-shelter facilities. Measure annually.

5.2 Adaptive Management StrategiesAdaptive management strategies are ways in which program implementation can be adjusted in

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response to incoming data about program performance. The City is encouraged to review this data and consider flexible decision making to modify program activities as outcomes from management actions and other events become better understood through the community health metrics. Programs work best if they are considered as opportunities to learn and adapt throughout the process of implementation. The metrics serve as the monitoring system for the plan. If some of the metrics fall short of expectation, which indicates the corresponding policies fail to achieve its goal, this should stimulate policy makers to review and consider changes in sections of their policies that are not performing well. Based on this understanding, decision makers should analyze the current situation of the plan and explore alternative ways to meet the management objectives. They need to understand the outcomes of alternatives based on the current state of knowledge, implement one of more of these alternatives, monitor to learn about the impacts of management actions and then use the results to update knowledge and adjust management actions.

5.3 Community Participation and Validation

The assessment and recommendation of Auburn Food Plan is based on a limited community input, including reviewing data and talking to a range of stakeholders such as people at the Teen Center, Community Center, and the Food Bank. There’s a risk that our suggestions represent only the perspective of a narrow range of people. Implementing a Community Participation Validation component of the Auburn Food Plan is an important part of the recommended planning process. It is essential to ensure that the resulting food plan reflects the full scope of community values and wants by involving a diverse spectrum of local stakeholders in the City of Auburn.

An initial step would be to identify key stakeholders in the community. Stakeholders are those entities and persons that have a stake in the outcome and implementation of the Auburn Food Plan. It is important that stakeholders from all spectrums of communities are involved and are working towards the common strategies for the success of the Auburn Food Plan. To begin this process, a list of suggested stakeholders should be identified and asked to form a stakeholder committee and attend monthly meetings to discuss and review the proposed policies. Beyond this, we recommend that several public meetings be held in City neighborhoods, where citizens are invited to a facilitated discussion on the proposals to gather additional ideas and secure feedback and validation of the proposed actions.

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Acknowledgements This work would not have been possible without the support of the City of Auburn, the University of Washington, and the Livable City Year program, an initiative led by University of Washington faculty, Branden Born and Jennifer Otten. We are especially grateful for the guidance of Richard Conlin and the help from Auburn City leaders and representatives.

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