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Nutrition and
Wellness

When people think about nutrition, they often think of dieting and weight loss. Although nutrition does involve maintaining a healthy body weight, it includes so much more.

Nutrition looks at the health of the body as a whole including balanced diets, exercise, and proper hydration. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is often considered too difficult, especially for people on tight budgets who cannot afford healthy foods and gym memberships.

The Food Bank is working to overcome these misconceptions through our own Nutrition & Wellness Program and by increasing the distribution of healthy foods, especially fresh produce, to our client population.

This section of our website outlines the initiatives and programs we are implementing to educate our client population and what we are doing to increase the amount of nutritious foods we distribute to people in need in San Diego County.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans

The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released on January 6, 2026, provides recommendations on what to eat to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and help prevent disease.

The guidelines emphasize consuming whole, nutrient-dense foods, including a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, full-fat dairy with no added sugars, and healthy fats. They also recommend reducing the consumption of processed foods, added sugars, excess sodium, and chemical additives.

A variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.

The Food Bank’s Nutrition Initiative

At the Food Bank, we understand the importance of good health, and we are committed to providing fresh, nutrient-dense food to people in need through all of our distribution programs. Here’s how we’re putting our commitment into action.

Nutrition Policy

We know that our partner charities and clients can only make healthy food choices if we provide them with healthy options. That is why the Food Bank’s nutrition policy applies to all departments within the Food Bank and is designed to guide our entire operation from food procurement to food distribution.

A woman in a food pantry examining tags of fresh produce.Choosing Healthy Options Program (CHOP)

Originally developed by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, this inventory ranking system allows our Food Bank to evaluate products for their nutritional value. After evaluation, each product is given a 1, 2, or 3 ranking. One (1) is the highest ranking a product can receive, meaning that it is of the highest nutritional value. The numerical ranking is displayed on our inventory list so that our nonprofit partners can see the nutritional value of each food item they select for their feeding programs.

Farm to Family Program

California produces more than half of the nation’s fruits, nuts, and vegetables. The Farm to Family Program connects the state’s growers and packers with food banks to deliver fresh, nutritious fruits and vegetables to families in need. Often growers and producers have ‘excess’ produce that is either dumped or plowed under, but the Farm to Family Program ‘saves’ this produce and delivers it to food banks throughout California.

Through this program, the Food Bank distributed over 20 million pounds of fresh produce this year to families in need, representing a third of our total food distribution. Our goal for the coming years is to increase the percentage of fresh produce distributed from its current level to at least 50% of the total amount of food distributed annually.

Nutrition Education

The Food Bank is committed not only to providing nutritious food but also to empowering our community through comprehensive nutrition education. By offering practical tools and resources, we equip individuals and families with the knowledge and skills to adopt healthy eating habits that support long-term health and well-being.

  • Nutrition Outreach at Distribution Sites: Our Nutrition & Wellness Educator, along with a dedicated team of volunteers, visits distribution sites across San Diego County to share nutrition handouts and recipe cards with clients. The recipe cards teach people how to utilize Food Bank products to prepare healthy, low-cost meals at home.
  • In-Person and Virtual Classes: We offer in-person and virtual classes open to all food distribution participants. Classes are available in English and Spanish, and cover a variety of topics, including how to read nutrition facts labels, Sugar Smarts, and Salt Savvy.
  • The Nutrition Pantry Program (NPP): We utilize The Nutrition Pantry Program (NPP), a framework created by Leah's Pantry to help strengthen food pantries. NPP helps food pantries become more client-centered, trauma-informed, and health-focused. Through training, technical assistance, and certification, it supports better nutrition and dignity-based service.
  • Virtual Educational Grocery Store Tour: Participants will learn how to navigate the supermarket to buy healthy foods on a budget. Skills include how to buy produce on a budget, compare unit prices, read nutrition facts labels, and identify whole grains. Visit the links below to register for an upcoming class.

Nonprofit partners interested in learning more about our programs are encouraged to contact Maria Tavera at
mtavera@sandiegofoodbank.org or (858) 863-5197.

Recipe Corner – Healthy Recipes and Videos

The San Diego Food Bank is committed to providing healthy, nutritious food to the individuals and families we serve.

Below is a selection of recipes featuring healthy fruits and vegetables. We encourage you to try them out yourself!

For more nutritious and budget-friendly recipe ideas, visit EatFresh.org.

people sorting fresh produce

Need Food?

Get food assistance in your local area. The Food Bank works with nonprofits to distribute food in your area. Use our food locator to find a nonprofit in your area that can help. Click on the Find Food button below.