The Biden Administration Announces $8 Billion In Commitments To Address Hunger, Nutrition, And Health Issues

Today, President Biden and key senior officials hosted the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. The goal behind the conference is straightforward: to address issues regarding food insecurity and diet-related chronic diseases that affect millions of Americans yearly.

The White House highlighted how nearly $8 billion in private and public sector commitments have been secured and distributed to various causes, ranging from philanthropic efforts, to funding new modes of healthcare delivery and even startup companies dedicated to ending food insecurity.

The White House emphasized five main pillars of focus:

• Pillar 1: Improve Food Access and Affordability
• Pillar 2: Integrate Nutrition and Health
• Pillar 3: Empower Consumers to Make and Have Access to Healthy Choices
• Pillar 4: Support Physical Activity for All
• Pillar 5: Enhance Nutrition and Food Security Research

Each of these pillars will be supported by initiatives that will be spearheaded by a variety of business, civic, academic, and philanthropic leaders, with the overarching goal of ending hunger and bettering health.

For example, famous food delivery company DoorDash has committed contributions to Pillar 1 (Improve Food Access and Affordability) by partnering with 18 cities to address transportation barriers to accessing healthy food. Mass General Brigham will be building teaching kitchens to promote healthy meals, nutrition counseling, and healthy cooking classes to community members, in an effort to address Pillar 2 (Integrate Nutrition and Health). One notable name that will be addressing Pillar 3 (Empower Consumers to Make and Have Access to Healthy Choices) is Instacart, a major delivery service company. Instacart will work with the USDA to incorporate SNAP and TANF services into its platform in order to provide more families access to food. MyFitnessPal, a famed fitness and nutrition phone application, will work to address Pillar 4 (Support Physical Activity for All), by providing free premium level memberships to those at risk for diet-related diseases in order to improve their fitness and dietary choices. The American Heart Association will partner with the Rockefellar Foundation to address Pillar 5 (Enhance Nutrition and Food Security Research) by launching a research initiative, with the goal of ultimately achieving health equity and reducing overall healthcare costs.

It is important to note that the above list is by no means comprehensive; there are numerous other notable companies under each pillar that have committed their time and efforts towards this crucial initiative.

Why is this initiative so important? Because food deserts are incredibly prevalent throughout America. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food deserts as “Low-income census tracts with a substantial number or share of residents with low levels of access to retail outlets selling healthy and affordable foods.” It was reported that in 2009 alone, 2.3 million “Americans lived more than one mile away from a supermarket and did not own a car,” posing a significant challenge to securely accessing healthy food. Even as recent as 2017, sources indicate that “Near­ly 39.5 mil­lion peo­ple — 12.8% of the U.S. pop­u­la­tion — [are] liv­ing in low-income and low-access areas.” Indeed, these numbers therefore also represent a significant amount of the population that is at risk for chronic diseases, poor long-term health outcomes, and ultimately, higher mortality rates.

Undoubtedly, the overarching challenges of having uninterrupted access to healthy food and healthier living conditions are systemic, and will require grassroots efforts to truly enact lasting change. However, initiatives such as the above are promising steps forward and provide hope for a better future ahead.