Stephenson-Martin succeeds Sarah Colby, PhD, RD, who served as president during the 2024-2025 term. In her new role, Stephenson-Martin will lead the association in advancing its mission to advance food and nutrition education research, practice, and policy that promote equity and support public and planetary health.

“I am honored to serve as President of the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior and build upon the incredible work of my predecessors,” said Stephenson-Martin. “I look forward to working with our incredible leadership team, members, and staff to advance global leadership, research, and collaboration in nutrition education and behavior.”

Susan Stephenson-Martin, MS is currently the director of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

The SNEB 2025 International Conference gathered over 400 nutrition education professionals to inspire action and drive progress within the field.

For more information about the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior or to learn more about the leadership team, visit https://sneb-prod.mod9multimedia.com/.

# # #

Journalists interested in further comment or setting up an interview can reach out to SNEB Executive Director Nicole Brandt at nbrandt@sneb.org or Marketing and Communications Manager Andrew de Bie at adebie@sneb.org.

ABOUT THE SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION EDUCATION AND BEHAVIOR

The Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior is an international organization of nutrition education professionals who are dedicated to advancing food and nutrition education research, practice, and policy that promote equity, and support public and planetary health. To learn more, visit sneb.dev.mod9multimedia.com/.

Her key points were:

1. Maximize guidance to women who are pregnant and/or lactating, infants, and toddlers through 24 months.
2. Maximize CNPP’s new infrastructure within the USDA Food and Nutrition service.
3. Provide guidance for the DGA to transform food systems.
4. Strengthen the process of developing our nation’s dietary guidelines.

“SNEB represents the interests of more than 1,100 nutrition educators worldwide. We are dedicated to promoting effective food and nutrition education and healthy behaviors through research, policy, and practice that promote equity and support public and planetary health, President Koch said in her written comments. “Collectively, SNEB members have unique and valuable expertise in building healthy communities and food systems and achieving behaviors consistent with healthy lifestyles.  Every day, our members use the DGA in multiple sectors and settings and in a variety of ways.”

“Our Society stands ready to assist federal officials in developing the DGA, and we will integrate the DGA into our efforts to build healthy communities and food systems for all Americans,” President Koch said to close her oral comments.

The Society submitted both oral and written comments for the consideration of the DGAC as they move forward in translating the evidence reviews into actionable strategies for policy makers and practitioners to help all Americans to eat healthier.

# # #

Journalists interested in further comment or setting up an interview can reach out to SNEB President Pam Koch at president@sneb.org; Executive Director Rachel Daeger at rdaeger@sneb.org; or Communications Coordinator Jordan Nussear at jnussear@sneb.org.

ABOUT THE SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION EDUCATION AND BEHAVIOR

The Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior is an international organization of nutrition education professionals who are dedicated to advancing food and nutrition education research, practice, and policy that promote equity, and support public and planetary health. To learn more, visit sneb.dev.mod9multimedia.com/.

We are heartbroken, angry and deeply saddened by the repugnant displays of police violence against Black People and other People of Color across our country. Our deeper heartbreak, anger and sadness is over the social injustice, systemic racism and lack of accountability that have long defined and divided our country. Longstanding misuse of privilege and power by individuals, institutions, and political leaders undermines trust and the principles of a civil, democratic society.

This is an opportunity to reflect on how our professional organization can be part of the solution. Our Society has a long history of being an inclusive and welcoming community that celebrates diversity. How can we be more so? SNEB will make every effort to stand up to these injustices by, for example, amending our Strategic Plan to better address social determinants of health, resultant health disparities and systemic food injustice. This past year SNEB strengthened our values to include and define: community, equity, inclusion, openness and respect. The SNEB Mission Statement adopted in fall of 2019 includes promoting equity.

This is a good foundation. How can action support these fine words?

Nutrition educators empower individuals and communities to make better choices within eating environments and food systems that are often rife with barriers and challenges to healthy eating. Importantly, the nutrition education field is going beyond individual behavior change to encourage systemic change.

SNEB can play a critical role in exposing and addressing food injustices and racial disparities in the food system. We can direct our recent and emerging strength in policy, systems and environmental (PSE) approaches in order to empower communities with skills needed to change their local food systems, demand routine access to healthy food for all, and dismantle food-related discrimination in our institutions, at the local, state, tribal, and national levels.

Issues of racism and equity have long been part of the SNEB conversation, but have we been doing enough? How can we more explicitly and effectively address these issues? During our virtual SNEB Annual Meeting in July, we will provide space for open exploration and discussion of what an authentic, actionable agenda that promotes greater food justice and racial equity could look like for SNEB.

We are pleased to announce that our colleagues at Food Solutions New England invite SNEB members to access materials found in the 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge. While the last “official” twenty-one day challenge ended in April, SNEB members can make use of the learning materials as time allows. There is also a racial equity resources page organized thematically. There is never a wrong time to learn more about the history and legacy of racism in our countries and in our food system.

We recognize that many of you are seeking ways as food and nutrition educators to address racism and inequities that permeate our food system. We invite you to seek meaningful action in your cities or towns to build momentum for true transformation towards a more just and equitable food system. And please share your experiences within our SNEB community.

Jennifer Wilkins, PhD, RD, SNEB President
Pam Koch, EdD, RD, President-Elect
Jasia Steinmetz, PhD, RD, Vice President
Susan Stephenson-Martin, MS, CD/N, Secretary
Karen Ensle, EdD, RDN, FAND, CFCS, Treasurer
Nurgul Fitzgerald, PhD, RD, Director At Large
Suzie Goodell, PhD, RD, Director At Large
Amy Mobley, PhD, RD, Director At Large
Sheila Fleischhacker, PhD, JD, Director at Large
Kendra Kattelmann, PhD, RDN, LN, SNEBF President
Karen Chapman-Novakofski, PhD, RD, LD, JNEB Editor-in-Chief
Navika Gangrade, BS, Student Representative
Lesli Biediger-Friedman, PhD, MPH, RD, ACPP Chair
Rachel Daeger, CAE, SNEB Executive Director

Times of crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic make it all the more clear how important a sustainable food system is to ensure healthy affordable food at the local, national and global levels.

“Charting the future of nutrition education is more important than ever because food is at the core of major problems related to ecological sustainability, racial and social equity and personal health,” SNEB President-Elect Pamela Koch said.

Dozens of speakers will present cutting-edge research and innovative programming being done across the nation and around the world from sustainability efforts in the food sector to school & university food service.

The five-day conference will be held entirely online through SNEB.org July 20-24. Themed “What Food Future?”, the conference will imagine and plan for how nutrition education, rooted in food, can move us to a new food future.

“How we produce our food is part of the problem but could be part of the solution,” Koch said. “Switching to soil building, water saving, carbon sequestering regenerative agriculture and to diets with more whole and plant-based foods, but fewer processed foods, improves food systems and public health.”

Attendees of SNEB’s 2019 conference said they plan to return this year, citing the “cutting edge information provided at the education sessions,” and “impressive styles and research” presented.

“This was my first time attending and I enjoyed it more than any conference I’ve attended in the past 25 years,” one attendee said. “There was a variety of topics with lots of examples of how to immediately implement ideas.”

This year’s programming will focus on planetary health, healthy children and youth, the future of nutrition education, and more.

Further information about the conference can be found at SNEB.org/2020.

# # #

ABOUT THE SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION EDUCATION AND BEHAVIOR

The Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior is an international organization of nutrition education professionals who are dedicated to advancing food and nutrition education research, practice, and policy that promote equity, and support public and planetary health. To learn more, visit sneb.dev.mod9multimedia.com/.

Abstracts can focus on the conference’s theme, “What Food Future?”, but research pertaining to any aspect of nutrition education is welcome. Nutrition educators are invited to highlight their innovative programs and initiatives, or interesting research. SNEB welcomes a diversity of issues surrounding nutrition education.

“Charting the future of nutrition education is more important than ever because food is at the core of wicked problems related to ecological sustainability, racial and social equity, and personal health,” SNEB President-Elect Pamela Koch said.

All submissions must be no more than 300 words and follow submission guidelines outlined at SNEB.org/abstracts. You do not have to be a member of SNEB to submit an abstract. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. EST Monday, Jan. 20.

Accepted abstracts are peer-reviewed and will be published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

SNEB’s annual conference will be held July 18-21 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina in San Diego, Calif. Themed “What Food Future?”, the conference will imagine and plan for how nutrition education, rooted in food, can move us to a new food future.

“How we produce our food is part of the problem but could be part of the solution,” Koch said. “Switching to soil building, water saving, carbon sequestering regenerative agriculture and to diets with more whole and plant-based foods, but fewer processed foods, improves food systems and public health.”

More information about the conference can be found at SNEB.org/2020.

# # #

ABOUT THE SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION EDUCATION AND BEHAVIOR

The Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior is an international organization of nutrition education professionals who are dedicated to advancing food and nutrition education research, practice and policy that promote equity, and support public and planetary health. To learn more, visit sneb.dev.mod9multimedia.com/.

An estimated 1.2 million fewer adults would receive SNAP benefits under the USDA’s final rule, issued Wednesday, largely because of stricter mandatory work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs). This rapid loss of SNAP benefits will exaggerate food insecurity among ABAWDs when they are navigating uncertain job prospects and a slowing economy. It would also impose financial hardship on states enforcing these stricter rules, weaken states’ ability to respond to deteriorating economic conditions, and cost retail food outlets millions of dollars.

“Actively involved in nutrition education and health promotion, our members have seen first-hand the tremendous administrative, food security and health benefits of SNAP,” said SNEB President Jennifer Wilkins, PhD, RD. “This significant slash in eligibility would be detrimental to the Americans who depend on this essential program to make ends meet.”

Congress had intense deliberations leading up to the 2018 Farm Bill regarding stricter work requirements imposed on ABAWDs unable to find work, and ultimately rejected such a controversial change by a historic vote of 87-13 in the Senate and by 369-47 in the House of Representatives. The publishing of this final rule, which received more than 100,000 public comments, should invoke a legislative and possibly judicial response challenging the USDA’s authority to supersede congressional intent.

Attention must also be given to evaluating the immediate impacts of this drastic rule change, given our nation’s objective research agency – the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) – has been relocated, and more than 80% of ERS employees left the agency.

“Any issues with SNAP work requirements should have been fixed in a manner that respects congressional intent and still permits certain degrees of state administrative autonomy,” SNEB’s Board of Directors said in a unified statement with its Advisory Committee on Public Policy. “This includes awaiting the recent Farm Bill investments in employment and training pilots, which will hopefully provide better insights on how to grant states flexibility and other administrative supports necessary to meet their constituents’ food security and employment needs through administering SNAP, among other safety net programs.”

SNAP provides nutrition assistance to nearly 40 million eligible individuals and families each month. Eighty percent of SNAP households include a child, an elderly individual or an individual with a disability, and these households received 85% of SNAP benefits.

Known as an “automatic economic stabilizer,” SNAP helps lift individuals out of poverty, “put food on the table” and reduces very low food security. Most working-age adults in SNAP who can work do, often for low pay, without benefits, and unstable schedules. Research demonstrates that even when these Americans are employed full-time, they are often underemployed and still need food and nutrition assistance.

“We encourage the USDA to develop innovative intra-governmental collaborations and public-private partnerships to address the root causes of unemployment and explore how best to utilize a program aimed at preventing food insecurity as a means of transitioning participants with a range of marketable skills and life circumstances into more stable and stronger workforce situations. We also encourage the USDA to focus more on promising policy, programmatic and resource allocation strategies that strengthen the economic, food security and other public health impacts of SNAP.”

# # #

Journalists interested in further comment or setting up an interview can reach out to SNEB President Jennifer Wilkins at president@sneb.org; Executive Director Rachel Daeger at rdaeger@sneb.org; or Senior Communications Coordinator Evan Hoffmeyer at ehoffmeyer@sneb.org.

ABOUT THE SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION EDUCATION AND BEHAVIOR

The Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior is an international organization of nutrition education professionals who are dedicated to advancing food and nutrition education research, practice and policy that promote equity, and support public and planetary health. To learn more, visit sneb.dev.mod9multimedia.com/.

It’s been flat-funded at $60 million for nearly a decade despite being authorized for up to $90 million under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. The House voted to fix that by fully-funding the program at $90 million, but the Senate Appropriations Committee voted last month to pull funding back to $80 million.

SNEB’s Board of Directors voted to sign on to a letter in June calling on Congress to authorize full funding, and Friday SNEB lent its credibility to a second letter calling on the Senate to revise its budget and adopt the House’s full funding of the program.

“The Peer Counselor Program is a proven success, with research demonstrating that peer support improves breastfeeding initiation, duration, and exclusivity among WIC mothers,” Friday’s letter stated. “The program also creates jobs in communities across the country and empowers low-income women to pursue careers in lactation consulting or healthcare.”

Overall, WIC is currently slated to get $6 billion in funding next year, $75 million less than this year.

Read the full letter by clicking here.

SNEB Issues Statement Denouncing Involuntary Separation of Immigrant and Refugee Infants and Minor Children from their Families

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (October 30, 2018) – The Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior (SNEB) denounces the involuntary separation of immigrant/refugee infants and immigrant/refugee minor children from their families and cites this practice as contributing to immediate and future harmful impacts on eating attitudes and behaviors.

“Childhood, especially for preschool age youth, is a vital stage for obtaining optimal nutrition, learning to accept and like a variety of foods, becoming aware of hunger and satiety cues, and trusting caregivers to reliably provide safe, nourishing, and adequate food in amounts that they can enjoy and derive comfort,” said SNEB member Barbara Lohse, PhD, RD, CDN, Wegmans School of Health and Nutrition, Rochester Institute of Technology. “Involuntary separation of minor immigrant/refugee children from their families from trusted adults leads to psychological and physical trauma including, but not limited to, trauma that can impact nutrition, food acceptance and development of food aversions. This can lead to disordered eating behaviors including compulsive eating or restriction that can be long lasting and threaten health and quality of life.”

SNEB President Jennifer McCaffrey, PhD, MPH, RD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign added, “SNEB strives for healthy communities, food systems and behaviors and promotes healthy behavior through policy and practice.  Therefore, the practice of involuntary separation of immigrant/refugee infants and minor immigrant/refugee children from their families is a direct affront to SNEB’s vision and mission.”

Members who joined Lohse in preparing this statement include Virginia Stage, PhD, RD, LDN, East Carolina University; Joan Dye Gussow, EdD; Leslie Cunningham-Sabo, PhD, RD, Colorado State University; and Claire Uno, MLIS, Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy. Members of SNEB’s Advisory Committee on Public Policy also contributed to the development of this statement.

SNEB members with expertise on healthy eating behaviors are available to comment. To schedule an interview, please contact Kayla Jenkins at 317-328-4627 or kjenkins@sneb.org.

ABOUT THE SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION EDUCATION AND BEHAVIOR

The Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior is an international organization of nutrition education professionals who are dedicated to a world where nutrition education is accessible to all and is integral to decisions impacting individual human health, health policy, and environmental sustainability. To learn more, visit sneb.dev.mod9multimedia.com/.

Media Contact:

Kayla Jenkins

Senior Communications Coordinator

SNEB

317-328-4627

Status grants SNEB opportunity to expand international reach of the Society and advance the field of nutrition education

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (October 5, 2018) — Effective July 2018, the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior (SNEB) has been granted special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.

“SNEB members are a treasure trove of expertise on nutrition education practice and research,” said SNEB Past President Suzanne Piscopo, PhD, University of Malta, who initiated the process of achieving this status with the ECOSOC. “Through its new consultative role with the ECOSOC, SNEB will be able to have a voice at the table where highlighting the value and need of quality food and nutrition education can make a difference to the wellbeing of people around the world.”

With this status, SNEB will be provided opportunities for direct engagement with ECOSOC and its subsidiary bodies, as well as with the United Nations Secretariat, programs, funds and agencies. Specifically, the ECOSOC will contact SNEB for expert information and advice related to nutrition education. SNEB will be informed about the provisional agenda of ECOSOC and SNEB may make requests for items to be added to the provisional agenda or submit position papers related to agenda topics.

Additionally, SNEB will be able to designate an official representative to attend select meetings at the United Nations headquarters in New York, as well as at the offices in Geneva and Vienna. In order to advance issues related to nutrition education, SNEB may be invited to conduct oral presentations and consultations with the ECOSOC.

“SNEB has a global membership comprised of nutrition educators from over 20 countries,” adds SNEB President Jennifer McCaffrey, PhD, MPH, RD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “Additionally, many of the members of our Division of International Nutrition Education work with ethnically diverse populations in a variety of settings around the world. The division works to expand SNEB’s international membership and contribute articles to the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior reflecting an international focus.”

This special consultative status will provide exciting opportunities for SNEB to expand its international reach and to help increase access to evidence-based nutrition education to relevant policy makers, interested NGOs and ultimately citizens, educators and learners globally.

ABOUT THE SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION EDUCATION AND BEHAVIOR

The Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior is an international organization of nutrition education professionals who are dedicated to a world where nutrition education is accessible to all and is integral to decisions impacting individual human health, health policy, and environmental sustainability. To learn more, visit sneb.dev.mod9multimedia.com/.

Media Contact:

Kayla Jenkins

Senior Communications Coordinator

SNEB

317-328-4627