President Biden’s goal of ending hunger and reducing diet-related disease by 2030 already is backed by $8 billion in commitments from the private sector, medical groups, schools and charities, said senior administration officials. Biden was to deliver “a call to action to all Americans” on Wednesday at the first White House hunger conference in half a century.
The conference “is our launching pad” for sustained and broad-scale action against hunger and disease, said a senior administration official. “We look forward to working within and outside of government to ensure successful implementation of the (anti-hunger) strategy.”
Biden will ask for American support, “knowing that we need a whole-of-society approach to solving these problems,” said the official. More than 500 anti-hunger activists and experts would hear the speech in person, with a larger audience online.
Ahead of the conference, the White House released a 44-page national strategy listing 56 areas for federal action, such as expanding school food programs and front-of-package nutrition labels to encourage healthier diets, and inviting the rest of society to join in.
“Today, we are announcing more than $8 billion in public and private-sector commitments to advance the goals of that strategy,” said a second senior administration official during a briefing. “More than 100 organizations are represented by these commitments, from hospitals and healthcare associations to tech companies, philanthropies, community-based organizations and the food sector.”
Some of the 63 initiatives would begin work almost immediately and more commitments might be made, said the official. The administration has limited power to assure follow through, however.
The Rockefeller Foundation and the American Heart Association plan to mobilize by spring 2023 a national “food is medicine” research initiative to improve health and reduce healthcare costs, according to a list of projects. A supermarket trade group will mobilize members to give 2 billion meals to food banks in 2023 and makes it easier to use SNAP and WIC benefits online.
The nonprofit FoodCorps would invest $250 million over eight years to increase access to free and nourishing school meals. Three medical associations said they would improve training on nutrition and screening for food insecurity. Boston Medical Center said it would build two farms in 2023 to supply fresh, local produce to patients and its prescription-based food pantry. A coalition including the James Beard Foundation will encourage restaurants to include at least one plant-based or vegetarian option on their dinner menus.