Community groups, academic & research institutions, and government agencies working on a range of public health issues have received funding from litigation settlements managed by the Public Health Trust.

A selection of recent grants follows:

Mexican Soda Bottles with Decoration Containing Lead

PHT will distribute funds related to this settlement for the following purposes: (1) to monitor retailers for continued use of certain glass bottles, (2) to assist small companies in retaining auditors to inspect their food production and processing activities, and (3) and to support projects dedicated to the reduction of lead in Mexican food products.

Four grants have been awarded to date:

• Environmental Health Coalition in National City to conduct outreach to Mexican Candy producers and suppliers of tamarind and chili regarding the hazards of lead in their products and ways to avoid lead contamination.

• St. Mary’s Medical Center Foundation/Families in Good Health in Long Beach for a project to survey and monitor retail establishments in Long Beach and Carson for the availability and sale of specific candy and soda bottles.

• The Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice in Riverside to expand the SALTA Advanced Promotora Program activities to include surveying and monitoring retail stores in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties for the sale of candy and soda which have tested high for lead.

• Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries, Inc. Healthy Markets Project to survey and monitor small markets and supermarkets in Fresno and Fresno County for the sale of candy and soda that have tested high for lead. This project will be implemented in partnership with Centro La Familia Advocacy, Inc.

Lead in Mexican-style Candy

The Public Health Trust will distribute funds related to this settlement for the following purposes: (1) community education about lead poisoning and about candy products that should be avoided, (2) technical assistance to small candy producers working to comply with the requirements of the Consent Judgment, (3) laboratory equipment to test Mexican candy and (4) the recruitment of Opt-In Defendants.

Two grants have been awarded to date:

• The California Poison Control System (CPCS) at the Department of Pharmacy, University of California – San Francisco, to develop and produce an integrated line of education materials for consumers, retailers and others, to engender action and lead to increased awareness and improved choices regarding Mexican-style candies. CPCS will use a collaborative approach in developing these materials, partnering with a large group of community-based organizations and an interdisciplinary team made up of CPCS pharmacists, physician-toxicologists and cultural anthropologists, along with the CPCS social marketing, content and education product development experts.

• California Department of Health Services Food and Drug Branch Laboratory for laboratory equipment to test for lead in food products such as Mexican produced candy. Specifically, the funds contributed to the purchase of an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS) machine, now considered to be the standard for conducting tests on lead in candy at the 0.1 parts per million level. The laboratory will use the equipment to insure that food products imported from Mexico do not pose a health hazard to consumers.

Tobacco Sampling and Other Marketing Activities at Adult-Only Venues

The Public Health Trust developed a grants program to fund projects to counter or prevent tobacco industry marketing techniques aimed at young adults in adult-only venues such as bars and fraternities in California, as well as tobacco company-sponsored brand websites. Four grants were awarded, one to develop, pilot test and disseminate a toolkit and three for innovative research and evaluation projects:

• BREATHE California of Sacramento – Emigrant Trails to develop a toolkit focusing on methods to counter tobacco industry marketing techniques to 18-25 year olds.

• American Lung Association of California - Chico to eliminate tobacco marketing advertising and sampling from Chico State fraternity and other campus organization activities and events.

• University of California, San Francisco - Office of Sponsored Research to design, execute, and evaluate an anti-tobacco intervention utilizing direct marketing, bar and nightclub events, and internet channels.

• Bay Area Community Resources - Project Ride to monitor and counter tobacco marketing in the import car scene.

Promoting Healthy Nutrition

The Public Health Trust awarded a grant to Community Health Clinic Ole to support diabetes nutrition programs for low-income clients. Funding for this grant was provided through an agreement between a distributor of dietary supplements and the Napa County District Attorney’s Office resulting from the sale of ephedra-based products in California.

Read a full Summary of Settlements & Grants

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