White House Conference on Hunger
The White House has officially announced their plans to hold a national conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022. The press release describes the purpose this way:
The Biden-Harris Administration has set a goal of ending hunger and increasing healthy eating and physical activity in the U.S. by 2030 so that fewer Americans experience diet-related diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. The Conference will galvanize action by anti-hunger and nutrition advocates; food companies; the health care community; local, state, territorial and Tribal governments; people with lived experiences; and all Americans, and it will launch a national plan outlining how we achieve this goal.
The last similar conference occurred over 50 years ago during the Nixon presidency. The 1969 White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health had the goal of drafting an agenda for ending hunger and malnutrition in our country. The conference produced 1,800 recommendations - the vast majority of which were quickly implemented. A 50th anniversary conference recognizing the historic event summarized the most significant outcomes:
Key accomplishments included major expansions of the Food Stamp Program and School Lunch Program, authorization of the Supplemental Feeding Program for Women Infants and Children, and improvements to nutrition labeling and ingredient labeling.
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) has led Congressional efforts towards this convening. In a press release on the White House announcement, McGovern said:
This is a historic moment in the fight against hunger. I’m proud of the nationwide, grassroots organization we built to secure this conference. I’m grateful to President Biden and his team for listening to us and understanding that a hunger-free future is within America’s reach. And most importantly, I’m incredibly inspired by the thousands of everyday people—nonprofit volunteers, tribal leaders, teachers, doctors, faith leaders, people with lived experiences, and so many others—who contributed their time and talent to build this movement.
For more information on the planned conference, visit the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health webpage.