To: City of Saint Louis Park, Saint Louis Park Parks and Recreation
Health in the Park Better Eating Action Pledge
Make Saint Louis Park the healthiest and safest place to live and raise kids.
Why is this important?
I want Saint Louis Park to be the healthiest and safest place to live and raise kids. A healthy and safe community thrives and achieves great things. As a citizen, parent and/or employee living and/or working in Saint Louis Park, I want our entire community and environment, including and especially schools, parks and recreation, and childcare, to support better eating and active living. To accomplish this, I request our community:
1. Educate the community about better eating and health.
2. Align school, recreation and childcare environment and policies
to support better eating, promote physical activity, and minimize
sugar-sweetened beverages and recreational screen time.
3. Place a city-wide focus on gardens, how food grows and where
food comes from.
4. Develop a city-wide food council to create policy to provide
guidelines and look at best practices for food and beverages
served in public settings across our city to all citizens and city-
based gardens and gleaning.
5. Work with STEP to maximize the health of food donated and
distributed.
6. See health through nutrition as an investment. In places where
food or beverages are served to kids:
a. Involve our kids, parents and citizens in the choice selection
and menu development process.
b. In addition to adherence to USDA school food and Smart
Snacks standards, work to:
•Serve:
o more fresh food served as part of meals, snacks,
vending, and catering.
o foods with no high-fructose corn syrup, added trans-fat
or artificial coloring
o hormone and antibiotic-free meat and dairy
• Minimize food and drinks with added sugars, pesticides,
antibiotics and growth hormones
• Avoid using food as reward
• Avoid food-based fundraising that does not meet school
food standards
1. Educate the community about better eating and health.
2. Align school, recreation and childcare environment and policies
to support better eating, promote physical activity, and minimize
sugar-sweetened beverages and recreational screen time.
3. Place a city-wide focus on gardens, how food grows and where
food comes from.
4. Develop a city-wide food council to create policy to provide
guidelines and look at best practices for food and beverages
served in public settings across our city to all citizens and city-
based gardens and gleaning.
5. Work with STEP to maximize the health of food donated and
distributed.
6. See health through nutrition as an investment. In places where
food or beverages are served to kids:
a. Involve our kids, parents and citizens in the choice selection
and menu development process.
b. In addition to adherence to USDA school food and Smart
Snacks standards, work to:
•Serve:
o more fresh food served as part of meals, snacks,
vending, and catering.
o foods with no high-fructose corn syrup, added trans-fat
or artificial coloring
o hormone and antibiotic-free meat and dairy
• Minimize food and drinks with added sugars, pesticides,
antibiotics and growth hormones
• Avoid using food as reward
• Avoid food-based fundraising that does not meet school
food standards