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Nicolle GraysonJessica Donze Black is the project director for the Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project. As such, she advises research and policy efforts aimed at improving school nutrition.
Prior to joining Pew, Jessica served as the National Director of the Healthy Schools Program for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation -- a joint initiative of the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation. In her work at the Alliance, Jessica led a team of more than sixty people in thirty-seven states who were helping schools make healthy and sustainable changes in their environments, policies, and practices.
Jessica’s other past work includes serving as the first Executive Director of the Campaign to End Obesity, directing obesity initiatives for the American Heart Association, managing national nutrition policy for the American Dietetic Association, serving as a health policy fellow for U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), and practicing clinical nutrition at DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware. Jessica is a registered dietitian with a B.S. in nutrition science from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Maryland, College Park.
"Make it a temporary rule, says Jessica Donze Black, director of the Pew Health Group's Kids' Safe & Healthful Foods Project, but just make it by June 30 and adjust it after schools have a chance to see how things work out."
More info"Imagine this: You are a 15 year-old standing in front of a school vending machine, getting ready to satisfy the snack craving you've had since first period. But lo and behold, instead of cookies and chips, every one of the slots behind the glass contains the same healthy stuff your mom and dad fill the cabinets with at home."
More infoJessica Donze Black, director of the Pew Kids' Safe & Healthful Foods Project, speaks with Education Week about a bipartisan bill that would provide money for school kitchen upgrades.
More infoUpdating national nutrition standards for snack foods and beverages sold in schools could help students maintain a healthy weight and increase food service revenue, according to a health impact assessment by the Kids’ Safe & Healthful Foods Project and the Health Impact Project.
Watch a video examining the impact of updated USDA standards for snack and a la carte foods and beverages.
More infoThe National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs provide meals to tens of millions of children each day, accounting for up to one-half of those students’ daily calories. However, more than 90 percent of schools serve meals that do not even meet the minimum national school meal standards.
More infoThe Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project conducted a pilot survey among food service directors in three states (Georgia, Kentucky and Wisconsin), finding that schools lack the resources and equipment to provide healthy school food to students.
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