This week, President Biden announced that, for the first time in over 50 years, the White House will host a Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. The Conference, planned for September 2022, will bring together nutrition and anti-hunger advocates, health care entities, food companies, all levels of government, tribal and territory communities, and others to drive the Biden-Harris Administration’s ambitious goal of ending hunger and increasing healthy eating and physical activity in the U.S. by 2030.
This Conference could not be more relevant. We are equipped with an ever-growing body of research that clearly illustrates the impact of nutrition on health. An increasing number of stakeholders are looking to utilize flexibilities in Medicare and Medicaid to address this crucial link. Communities across the country are organizing to collaborate on solutions. And support for strengthening the country’s nutrition insecurity infrastructure has been galvanized by the COVID-19 pandemic. The time for a coordinated, national strategy is now.
CHLPI and FLPC have advocated for and are excited to participate in this important opportunity to accelerate progress and drive new, innovative policy change. When the inaugural Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health was convened in 1969, it helped to shape the country’s food policy agenda for decades to come. (The Conference report provided, for example, momentum for the creation of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).)
In advance of the conference, the Biden-Harris Administration will host a series of regional listening sessions to solicit feedback from people across the country. Stay tuned for opportunities to share your ideas!