JACKSON, Miss. -- Food pantry clients may soon find healthier options more often thanks to new food service guidelines.

Thirty-five participants representing 10 food pantries across the state recently received hands-on experience after being trained in the Supporting Wellness at Pantries, or SWAP, guidelines. The collaborative training by the Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Mississippi Food Network took place in Jackson.

After an hour-long virtual workshop presented by Brittney Cavaliere of Connecticut Foodshare, teams used SWAP guidelines to stock shelves featuring color-coded signs with random food items from their grocery carts.

Keltra Chandler, program manager for the MSU Extension food and health program AIM for CHangE, said the guidelines are based on the familiar concept of a traffic light.

“Green means ‘choose often,’ yellow means ‘choose sometimes’ and red means ‘choose rarely,’” Chandler said. “These categories are designed to help food pantry clients understand some foods can be chosen frequently and no foods are off-limits.”

Course materials included signs and a notebook of information to help code various foods based on ingredients of concern, including added sugar, sodium and saturated fat.

“By working together to apply the concepts taught in the workshop, participants were better able to figure out where foods should be shelved, and we were able to answer questions as they worked through their carts,” she said.

Jasmine Styles, operator of the Fruits of Love Food Pantry in Leland, said learning to read food labels and code foods into green, yellow and red categories has been a game changer.

“This knowledge will be seamlessly integrated into our feeding program and bi-monthly food distribution, empowering our clients to make better food choices and improve their overall health,” Styles said. “We are excited to see the positive impact this will have on our community.”

Mississippi Food Network agency relations manager Robin Copeland said she is excited about introducing the SWAP program to food pantries around the state.

“The Mississippi Food Network’s mission is to change lives by fighting hunger today and feeding hope for a healthier tomorrow,” Copeland said. “Supporting Wellness at Pantries will allow neighbors to have a healthy experience when receiving food from a food pantry.”

AIM for CHangE is short for Advancing, Inspiring, Motivating for Community Health through Extension. The award-winning program was launched in 2018 and is funded by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For more information on AIM for CHangE and how it is helping to reduce obesity and improve the health of Mississippi communities, visit http://msuext.ms/aim.