Supporting Wellness at Pantries (SWAP) is designed to promote the donation and selection of nutritious foods throughout the charitable food system.

The program is based on the theory that categorizing food using simple, intuitive labels and communicating this information at each decision point while food travels through the system (donor, food bank, food pantry, & client) has the potential to transform the policy, systems, and environment of food banks and food pantries.

SWAP consists of a suite of tools for food banks and food pantries to rank their inventory using a traffic light nutrition system. SWAP aligns with the Healthy Eating Research (HER) Nutrition Guidelines for the Charitable Food System.

These guidelines place foods into 11 categories and assign green=choose often; yellow=choose sometimes; and red=choose rarely based on levels of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars. SWAP can be used as an intervention in multiple levels of the charitable food system to promote food justice and health equity. 

We believe that informed choices lead to healthier lives. Therefore, we use SWAP to provide nutrition rankings of food inventory to enable partner agencies to make informed selections for their guests.

• Ranking Explainer

• Detailed Guidelines

Our recipe library helps neighbors transform pantry staples into nourishing dishes. The library features a diverse collection of recipes that embrace affordability, simplicity, and flavor. (Click individual items to view informative PDF)

Fruits:

• Apple Sauce, Unsweetened

• Apricots, Canned

• Mixed fruit, Canned

• Orange Juice,  Unsweetened

• Peaches, Canned

• Pears, Canned

Vegetables:

• Green Beans, Low-Sodium, Canned

• Corn, No Salt Added, Canned

• Green Peas, Low-Sodium, Canned

• Sliced Potatoes, Low-Sodium, Canned

• Pumpkin, No Salt Added, Canned

• Tomato Soup, Low-Sodium, Canned

Proteins:

• Pinto Beans, Dry

• Chicken, Canned

• Ham, Frozen

• Pork, Canned or Pouch

• Beef, Canned or Pouch

• Baby Lima Beans, Dry

• Alaska Pollock, Frozen

• Ground Beef, Frozen

• Black Beans, Low-Sodium, Canned

• Black-eyed Peas, Low-Sodium, Canned

• Beef Stew, Canned or Pouch

Grains:

• Long Grain Rice

• Medium Grain Rice

• Macaroni Pasta

• Spaghetti Pasta

• Rotini Pasta, Whole Grain

• Brown Rice

Dairy:

• American Cheese

• American Cheese, Reduced Fat

• Milk