nutrition policy — Blog | The Nourished Principles

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.

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.

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.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Key Takeaways from the Fourth Meeting

The fourth meeting of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans Advisory Committee (DGAC) was held in Houston, Texas on January 23rd and 24th, 2020. The idea was to get out of the Washington D.C. area and offer those living outside the “beltway” an opportunity to be more involved in the Dietary Guidelines process.