Mayor Rawlings-Blake, USDA, University Of MD Baltimore Launch “Get Fresh Kids” at Lexington Market

BALTIMORE, Md. (May 7, 2014)—Today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake launched Get Fresh Kids—a comprehensive new strategy aimed at decreasing childhood obesity by increasing the availability of healthy, kid-friendly meals—at Lexington Market. She was joined by Audrey Rowe, administrator for the Food and Nutrition Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Dr. Jay Perman, president of University of Maryland Baltimore, to announce the initiative which also provides nutrition education to children and their families through fruit and vegetable art workshops.

“To provide healthy food where it’s needed most, we are excited to launch Get Fresh Kids and unveil the new kids’ meals at Lexington Market, where 250,000 kids come each year,” said Mayor Rawlings-Blake. “We have already made it a priority to increase the number of healthy food choices within the public markets. Now, we are focusing on children’s health to ensure that kids learn how to make healthy eating choices early on.”

In Baltimore, approximately 31,000 children live in food deserts that not only lack healthy food, but are swamped with unhealthy choices. To provide healthy food where it is needed most, the Baltimore Food Policy Initiative, in collaboration with Lexington Market, expanded the 2011 Get Fresh Get Fit Public Market strategy to include Get Fresh Kids.

“Childhood obesity has both short and long term effects that contribute to several chronic diseases,” said Dr. Jacquelyn Duval-Harvey, Interim Health Commissioner for Baltimore City. “Innovative programs like this will help us move the needle in a positive direction as we continue to combat childhood obesity.”

So far, nine Lexington Market vendors have launched healthy kids’ menus, featuring appropriate serving sizes for kids, and including water and fresh fruit.

“We are very excited to be partnering with the City to improve the health of our customers. I find it disheartening to see young children eating fried foods and sodas for breakfast,” said Casper Genco, Executive Director of Lexington Market. “Get Fresh Kids will not only increase the availability of healthy food, but also provide nutrition education to help our customers make healthier choices.”

Get Fresh Kids also includes free monthly edible art workshops, which provide opportunities for children to try new fruits and vegetables through hands-on art.

"Childhood obesity is a complex issue with genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors at play,” said Dr. Perman. “The University of Maryland, Baltimore is deeply committed to making the Westside and Lexington Market area more conducive to healthy living with healthier food choices for our children."

Get Fresh Kids is part of a larger Get Fresh Public Market strategy to promote healthy eating choices. For more information about the Get Fresh initiatives, visit the Get Fresh B’More Markets website.