Posts in Food Policy
THE PANDEMIC CHILD HUNGER PREVENTION ACT: MAKING THE CASE FOR UNIVERSAL SCHOOL MEALS
THE PANDEMIC CHILD HUNGER PREVENTION ACT: MAKING THE CASE FOR UNIVERSAL SCHOOL MEALS

No child should have to worry about where their next meal will come from or whether their family will be able to afford to put food on the table, but unfortunately, that is the reality for millions of Americans. According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) latest data, 13 million U.S. children are food insecure. In April, 35% of households with children under 18 responded to a survey stating, “the food we bought just didn’t last, and we didn’t have enough money to get more.” This is an increase of nearly 20 percentage points from 2018 data, showing just how detrimental the COVID-19 pandemic has been for families due to record high unemployment rates. For those children, uncertain access to food, especially healthy, nutritious food, has serious consequences for health, learning, and development.

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Food Policy, Nutrition, Public HealthStephanie Hodgeshealth benefits of school meals, child nutrition hunger relief, universal school meals, nutrition legislation, nutrition policy, food policy, the nourished principles, child hunger prevention, child hunger, school nutrition, health policy, no kid hungry, universal meals, school nutrition programs, public health nutrition, public health, public health legislation, public health covid-19 legislation, lunch shaming, school lunch stigma, nutrition regulations, school meals, national school lunch program, school breakfast program, summer meals program, free and reduced-priced school meals, healthy schools, grab and go school meals, pandemic child hunger prevention act, hunger prevention, hunger prevention legislationComment
Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Key Takeaways from the Draft Advisory Report Meeting
Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Key Takeaways from the Draft Advisory Report Meeting

As the work begins to wind down for the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) which was tasked with developing the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), it is easy to see that many have worked tirelessly over the last couple of years to get to this point. With each curve ball that was thrown their way, the team has continued to persevere forward so that they can bring the latest and most reliable nutrition research to the stage for the new DGAs. The long-awaited final Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Public Meeting was held via webcast on June 17. In this blog, I will walk you through what to expect next from the DGAC, the agencies responsible for creating the final guidelines, and key takeaways from the final meeting.

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Food Policy, Public Health, NutritionStephanie HodgesDietary Guidelines 2020-2025, DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS, dietary guidelines advisory committee, Dietary Guidelines, dietary patterns, toddler nutritional needs, toddler diet, nutrients of public health concern, nutrition policy, food policy, food guidelines, healthy eating guidelines, healthy eating recommendations, public health nutrition, public health, healthy food for breastfeeding, what to eat when breastfeeding, food before one is just for fun, every bite counts, birth to 24 months nutrition guidelines, birth to 24 months nutrition recommendations, eating during pregnancy and lactation, limit added sugars, limit alcohol consumption, beverages and added sugars subcommittee, birth to 24 months subcommittee, complementary foods and beverages Comment
Wondering about WIC During the COVID-19 Crisis
Wondering about WIC During the COVID-19 Crisis

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, commonly referred to as “WIC”, is a federal nutrition program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (USDA FNS). Programs like WIC are essential in ensuring families experiencing food insecurity have additional resources and access to nutritious foods each month. Given the current COVID-19 pandemic, many people are now unemployed or furloughed which makes it challenging for some families to keep food on the table. Throughout the pandemic, employees of the WIC program continue to work to ensure these families have access to healthy foods.

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Public Health, Nutrition, Food PolicyStephanie HodgesWIC during covid-19, WIC approved, WIC approved foods, WIC EBT benefits, WIC breastfeeding support, WIC nutrition counseling, breastfeeding support, physical presence waiver, food substitution waiver, remote benefit issuance waiver, women, women infants and children program, USDA WIC program, USDA policy, USDA nutrition regulations, public health nutrition, WIC food list, WIC nutrition, WIC guidelines, WIC services, lactation consultant, WIC income eligibility, family first coronavirus response act, WIC certificationComment
Support for Nutrition and Public Health in COVID-19 Legislation
Support for Nutrition and Public Health in COVID-19 Legislation

With each new day, the COVID-19 pandemic brings new advances and challenges. For millions of Americans, it has virtually affected every aspect of daily living. As we seek to ensure our families’ health and safety, we are reminded of the importance of daily necessities that we may have previously taken for granted. This realization has made many of us slow down and think more deeply about where our food comes from, and how we would survive as a society without grocery stores, restaurants, school meals, nutrition assistance programs, and other means of nourishment. Based on the typical American diet, nearly half the calories consumed each day are from products outside the home. This has caused a dramatic shift in consumption patterns and misalignment of production and supply.

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Food Policy, Nutrition, Public HealthStephanie Hodgesnutrition legislation, public health legislation, nutrition covid-19 legislation, public health covid-19 legislation, public health, nutrition policy, food policy, FAMILIES FIRST CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE ACT, CORONAVIRUS AID, RELIEF, AND ECONOMIC SECURITY (CARES) ACT, HEALTH AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY OMNIBUS EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS (HEROES) ACT, farmers to families food box, food insecurity covid-19, covid-19 nutrition, child nutrition programs covid-19, usda policyComment
What is the Food and Drug Administration’s Nutrition Innovation Strategy, and Why Does it Matter?
What is the Food and Drug Administration’s Nutrition Innovation Strategy, and Why Does it Matter?

Chronic disease burden is a growing problem in America, six in ten adults have one chronic disease, while four in ten have two or more. Although treatment for these conditions continues to improve, we know that the best treatment is prevention. On March 29, 2018, the FDA Commissioner at the time, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, gave an effective speech on reducing the burden of chronic disease and the critical role FDA plays in this, including policy implementation. During this speech, he announced the FDA’s Nutrition Innovation Strategy.

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Food Policy, Public Health, NutritionStephanie Hodgesfda nutrition innovation strategy, nutrition innovation strategy, how to prevent chronic disease, fda, usda nutrition regulations, nutrition regulations, standards of identity, nutrition facts label, calorie counts on menu, restaurant menu labeling, modernizing ingredients, modernizing claims, food industry sodium reductionComment
Where Are We Now? An Update on the 2018 Farm Bill
Where Are We Now? An Update on the 2018 Farm Bill

If you eat, pay taxes, or care about the legislation that influences where your food comes from, then this blog post is for you! Let me help you stay up to date on one of the most important pieces of food related legislation: The Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is responsible for decades of debate among farmers, conservationists, and anti-hunger advocates. In fact, the roots of the Farm Bill reach all the way back to one of America’s darkest times, the Great Depression. Today, the Farm Bill covers a variety of programs ranging from crop insurance for farmers to healthy food access for low-income families, from beginning farmer training to support for sustainable farming practices, the farm bill sets the stage for our food and farm systems. If the Farm Bill was to fall apart, we risk millions going hungry, farmers going bankrupt, and air and water quality would suffer. My goal is to help you better understand the history of the Farm Bill and to bring you the latest information on the October 2019 Farm Bill committee hearing.


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Food Policy, AgricultureStephanie HodgesUSDA, farm bill, us senate, senate agriculture committeeComment
What You Need to Know About the Dietary Guidelines & Key Takeaways from the Third Public Meeting
What You Need to Know About the Dietary Guidelines & Key Takeaways from the Third Public Meeting

The 2019 World Series wasn’t the only important event going on at the end of October in Washington, DC! On October 24th and 25th, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans Advisory Committee reconvened for their third public meeting in the Jefferson Auditorium of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Building. Now, the seats weren’t sold out like the Nats Stadium, but nearly 1,200 participants did attend the meeting either in person or through webcast. You might be wondering, just what are the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) and how do they impact me?

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Food Policy, Nutrition, Public HealthStephanie Hodges Comment