Our Mission
Food Equity Collaborative is working to create a more just and resilient food system in North Carolina through:
Community-based food access programs
Nutrition education initiatives
Relationships that support local food producers
We are empowering individuals and communities to make informed food choices that promote health, sustainability, and equity.
Our Story
Making healthy food accessible, sustainable, and rooted in community
Dr. Ammerman’s work over the past three decades has focused on chronic disease prevention among lower-income and marginalized communities in the Southeastern United States. Through this research, she and her colleagues developed the Med-South Lifestyle Program, a culturally adapted version of the Mediterranean diet designed to reflect the food availability and taste preferences of the Southeast.
To create a more tangible, lasting impact beyond research, Dr. Ammerman founded Equiti Foods in 2018, a social enterprise producing Good Bowls: ready-to-heat meals based on the Med-South diet and made with ingredients from local farmers. In addition to direct-to-consumer sales, Equiti Foods supplies Good Bowls to several programs to improve health outcomes. These programs have been funded by the NIH, USDA, North Carolina Medicaid, WellCare, and Blue Cross Blue Shield.
To provide a wider range of community support than a for-profit alone could offer, Dr. Ammerman founded the Food Equity Collaborative. As a nonprofit, we are uniquely positioned to deliver community-based food access programs, nutrition education initiatives, and to strengthen relationships between local food producers and the communities they serve.
