This week, NCDHHS leaders joined the annual NC Crunch event at A Safe Place Child Enrichment Center in Raleigh in celebration of NC Farm to School and Early Care and Education Month.
NC Crunch recognizes the importance of healthy eating habits in supporting child and family well-being, while promoting North Carolina agriculture, by crunching into locally grown fruits and vegetables. According to the CDC, one in two North Carolina children ages 1-5 do not eat a daily vegetable and one in three do not eat a daily fruit.
Farm-to-early care education is shown to increase children’s consumption of fruits and vegetables to one daily serving. The NC Crunch initiative is a fun and healthy way for children, teens and adults to sample locally-grown produce while thanking the professionals who contribute to growing and nourishing communities.
Susan Osborne, NCDHHS' Deputy Secretary of Opportunity and Well-Being, and Dr. Kim Mcdonald, Section Chief for the Chronic Disease and Injury Section in NCDHHS' Division of Public Health, participated in the event.
