Dr. Hilary Seligman’s work in food insecurity began with a patient. When she asked a man she had just diagnosed with prediabetes what he ate for lunch, he told her: a piece of Spam between two cinnamon rolls. It was filling, and the only thing he could afford.
Seligman, 40, is a professor of medicine, epidemiology and biostatistics at UCSF and is on the faculty of the Center for Vulnerable Populations at S.F. General Hospital. She is also an expert in food policy, working with the Centers for Disease Control and Feeding America, and is the founder of EatSF, which works to get healthy foods into the hands of low-income residents. She says 1 in 4 San Franciscans are food insecure.
EatSF has pioneered Vouchers 4 Veggies (V4V), which gives participants access to fresh fruits and vegetables at free or reduced cost. V4V also operates as a pilot program in L.A. The organization also works with the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.