NC State first to meet PHA commitment

North Carolina State University has completed its Healthier Campus Initiative commitment to expand healthier options across its campus, the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) has announced. PHA works with the private sector and PHA Honorary Chair First Lady Michelle Obama to promote and facilitate healthier food choices.

One of the first Healthier Campus Initiative partners, NC State is one of 38 colleges and universities that have signed onto a three-year commitment to adopt guidelines around nutrition, physical activity and programming. Implementing all 23 guidelines two years ahead of schedule, NC State is the first campus to successfully complete its commitment, encouraging healthier options among the more than 40,000 students, faculty and staff on campus each year.

“Just a year ago, PHA launched its Healthier Campus Initiative in an effort to create healthier food and physical activity environments on campuses across the nation,” said PHA CEO Lawrence Soler in a statement accompanying the announcement. “The fact that NC State has already met all elements of its commitment is a testament to their leadership in the effort to make healthier choices easier on college and university campuses, and we couldn’t be prouder to have them on board as a PHA partner."

“Our commitment to providing a healthier campus and the strengths of our campus wide partnerships are reflected in this significant achievement,” added NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson in the same release. “We're proud to be part of this critical effort and hope our leadership spurs others to provide healthier options in their communities.”

Some of the highlights of the 23 commitment elements NC State has implemented are…

• Offering a Dietitian’s Dish wellness meal daily at breakfast, lunch and dinner;
• Designating healthier food and beverage options in vending machines, c-stores and dining facilities using the Wolf-Approved healthy icon program;
• Ensuring that free water is available at all dining, recreational and educational facilities;
• Providing more than 150 group fitness classes each week in addition to more than 25 intramural activities each year;
• Opening a Functional Training area on campus, featuring more than 4,000 square feet of functional fitness space, complete with a cargo net, dip bars, sit-up benches, wall ball targets and box jumps;
• Combatting food insecurity on campus and throughout the community through the Feed the Pack Pantry.

As with all of PHA’s partners, each of the commitment elements have been verified by a third party and will be publicly reported in PHA’s annual progress report.

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]