On May 4th, 2022, the White House announced that it will convene a White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September, more than 50 years since the first and only conference on the issue.
The first White House Conference on Nutrition was convened in 1969 by President Nixon with the goal of ending hunger and improving nutrition in the United States once and for all. However, millions of Americans presently experience food insecurity and struggle with hunger, while others lack resources to access proper nutrition. These issues disproportionately impact Black, brown and Indigenous communities, as well as families and individuals with low income.
Members of Congress from across the political spectrum have called for convening a White House Conference, including U.S. Representatives James P. McGovern(D-MA) and Jackie Walorski (R-IN) and U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Mike Braun (R-IN).
The Biden Administration’s goal, beginning with this conference, is 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.”