White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health Update
Sara Elnakib, PhD, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Public Policy, will be represented SNEB in Washington, DC on Wednesday, September 28. Sara posted photos and comments on her LinkedIn page.
Following the conference, Dr. Elnakib met with SNEB’s Executive Committee on Tuesday, October 4. Following that meeting SNEB members will be informed of the Society’s followup steps.
How to Watch:
The entire program will be live streamed to anyone by visiting this website. SNEB members are encouraged to watch the conference and take notes for further discussion.
Preparing for this historic conference
On May 4, President Biden announced that he will convene a White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September. The goals of the conference are to “end hunger and increase healthy eating and physical activity by 2030, so that fewer Americans experience diet-related diseases like diabetes, obesity, and hypertension.” Congress appropriated $2.5 million for the event in the FY 2022 spending bill. That effort was the result of a bipartisan effort led by Reps. Jim McGovern (D-MA), Jackie Walorski (R-IN) and Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Mike Braun (R-IN). The last White House conference on food was held in 1969 during the Nixon administration led to a major expansion of food stamps and school meals access.
SNEB signed onto two letters supporting the 2022 conference.
As a stakeholder for the Conference, SNEB used the listening session toolkit to host our own calls focused on the five conference pillars.
- Improve food access and affordability – Thurs. June 16 at 12 noon ET
- Integrate nutrition and health/Support physical activity for all – Thurs June 23 at 12 noon ET
- Empower all consumers to make and have access to healthy choices – Thurs June 30 at 12 noon ET
- Enhance nutrition and food security research –Thurs July 7 at 12 noon ET
Each session asked the following questions:
- What are innovative, successful activities happening at the local, state, territory and Tribal levels that could inform actions at the Federal level?
- What specific actions should the U.S. federal government, including the Executive Branch and Congress, take to achieve each pillar? What are the opportunities and barriers to achieving the actions you are recommending?
- What specific actions should local, state, territory and Tribal governments; the private sector; civil society; and others take to achieve each pillar?
- What are opportunities for public and private sector partners to work together to achieve each pillar?
The feedback was in a report to the White House submitted July 15. Read SNEB’s comments here.
SNEB’s Involvement in the First White House Conference
As Helen Denning Ullrich reports in The SNE Story that SNE members served on four panels on nutrition teaching and nutrition education during the 1969 conference: George Briggs was cochair of the Panel on Nutrition Teaching in Elementary and Secondary Schools; Helen Walsh cochaired the Panel on Community Nutrition Teaching; Ruth Huenemann served on the Panel on Advanced Academic Training; and Philip White cochaired the Panel on Popular Education.
Additionally, a JNE supplement with a subscription form was distributed to all participants at the White House Conference. This photo shows Jean Mayer, Special Consultant to President Nixon, and George Briggs, Panel Chair, distributing the Journal’s first supplement issue at the White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health, 1969.
The fourth issue of JNEB was devoted to coverage of that first conference and a perspective article was written on 30 years ago marking the 20th anniversary of the conference.
