White House Launches National Plan to End Hunger and Promote a Healthier Population

By John Laughner, Government Relations Manager at the American Heart Assocation

At the end of September, the White House hosted a much-anticipated White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health—the first such national convening since 1969, the same year that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Of consequence, the inaugural conference led to the significant expansion of the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Those who participated in this year’s convening included President Joe Biden, Domestic Policy Council Chair Susan Rice, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, Department of Health and of Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, Members of Congress, and more than 500 in-person attendees.

 

The American Heart Association (AHA) was engaged throughout the process adding an important voice to the national strategy that was released the day before the conference. Our CEO Nancy Brown, two youth advocates, Bella Crowe, Andre Scott, Jr., and their parents attended on behalf of the AHA. These young advocates provided the critical lived experience viewpoint to the conference, advocating for school meal nutrition standards, healthy school meals for all, and increased physical activity.

 

Unfortunately, millions of Americans have chronic diseases including heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes which are often caused by poor nutrition and inadequate physical activity. Fewer than one in ten children and adults eat the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables, and almost all eat too much added sugars and sodium. In addition, only one in four adults get the physical activity they need to help prevent and reduce chronic diseases, and fewer than a quarter of children and youth meet recommended physical activity guidelines, a number that was exacerbated during the pandemic.

 

To combat this growing crisis, the White House unveiled a five-pillar, national strategy to improve nutrition security, end hunger, and improve our population’s health by 2030. At a high-level, the strategy seeks to:

  • Increase the number of healthy school meals for all and protect nutrition standards;

  • Expand access to Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) and SNAP to improve access to food;

  • Create legislation that would allow the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to test coverage of food as medicine and nutrition counseling;

  • Have the FDA introduce new packaging and standards to highlight healthy foods;

  • Update the voluntary sodium targets and create similar targets for added sugars;

  • Expand the CDC’s State Physical Activity and Nutrition Program to all U.S. states and territories and create parks and places where people can exercise;

  • Continue to expand opportunities for physical activity in outdoor spaces and active transportation; and

  • Better coordinate and provide funding for nutrition science and research

 

In advance of the conference, the AHA submitted a letter with our recommendations, many of which were incorporated into the national strategy. The AHA also released a press statement in response to the conference and strategy, with our CEO Nancy Brown stating, “This conference puts a much-needed spotlight on how we can modernize our nation’s approach to provide equitable access to nutritious food and physical activity. The administration’s national strategy is a call to action for changing the trajectory of health nationwide.”

 

One goal of note related to funding is the call to expand the State Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) program, which is administered by the CDC Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO). The SPAN program carries out evidence-based strategies at state and local levels to support good nutrition, safe and accessible physical activity, and breastfeeding. Currently, the program can only support 16 states and many groups from the nutrition, physical activity, and active transportation advocacy community are requesting that Congress appropriate $130 million to DNPAO to fund all states and territories as recommended by the agency.

 

To help advance the goals of the national strategy, the White House also announced more than $8 billion in commitments from more than 100 private and nonprofit organizations (full list here). As part of this effort, the AHA announced together with the Rockefeller Foundation, and partner Kroeger, a plan to mobilize $250 million to build a national Food is Medicine Research Initiative. Launching in spring of 2023, “this Initiative will generate evidence and tools to help the health sector design and scale programs that increase access to nutritious food, improve both health and health equity, and reduce overall health care costs.”

 

Nutrition and physical activity are both critical aspects of overall individual health and well-being and addressing both is imperative for a healthier population. The American Heart Association was inspired by the convening, and we urge governments at all levels to take immediate steps to put the national strategy into action.

Noah Hammes