Distributing Summer Meals during a Pandemic: Challenges and Innovations.

The USDA summer food programs provide meals for children when school is not in session. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges for food distribution programs, many regulations have been waived, providing opportunities for new approaches to meal distribution. The aim of this study was to identify practices designed to increase program participation during the summer of 2021. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with food service directors (N = 16) in a northeastern state. Questions addressed meal distribution methods; perceptions about facilitators and barriers to family participation; communication strategies used to reach families; and engagement with community partners. The responses were analyzed using an immersion-crystallization approach and four themes emerged: new opportunities for innovation due to the waivers; the importance of collaboration with community partners to increase reach; ongoing logistical challenges due to the pandemic; and the challenge and importance of reducing the stigma of participation. These findings underscore how the USDA waivers increased food service directors' ability to flexibly and creatively solve problems related to summer meal delivery. The FSDs believed that several of the waivers helped them increase participation in the summer meal program, suggesting that permanent changes to the summer meal regulations may be appropriate.

Milk Polar Lipids: Underappreciated Lipids with Emerging Health Benefits.

Milk fat is encased in a polar lipid-containing tri-layer milk fat globule membrane (MFGM), composed of phospholipids (PLs) and sphingolipids (SLs). Milk PLs and SLs comprise about 1% of total milk lipids. The surfactant properties of PLs are important for dairy products; however, dairy products vary considerably in their polar lipid to total lipid content due to the existence of dairy foods with different fat content. Recent basic science and clinical research examining food sources and health effects of milk polar lipids suggest they may beneficially influence dysfunctional lipid metabolism, gut dysbiosis, inflammation, cardiovascular disease, gut health, and neurodevelopment. However, more research is warranted in clinical studies to confirm these effects in humans. Overall, there are a number of potential effects of consuming milk polar lipids, and they should be considered as food matrix factors that may directly confer health benefits and/or impact effects of other dietary lipids, with implications for full-fat vs. reduced-fat dairy.