Why Now Is the Perfect Time to Start Following Government Involvement in the U.S. Food System

Food Decisions Go Way Beyond What’s For Dinner

If someone asked you to describe the United States’ policy towards food, could you??A more important question is – Does the U.S. have a coherent, unified food policy??Or, as posed by Boston University professor Dr. Ellen Messer, does the U.S. instead actually have a “collection of loosely related policies which all tie to food in various ways (energy, water, environment, health care, welfare, etc.)(1)?

You Are Part of the U.S. Food System

At the end of the day, why does it matter??We as humans eat food multiple times every single day.?If you stop and think about it, we make a lot of assumptions about the healthiness and safety of the food and drinks we put in our mouth every day, and we only occasionally worry about it when there is a salmonella outbreak on romaine lettuce or when we are trying to decide whether to pay the extra money for the organic bell pepper.?In recent years, there has been an increasing emphasis on sustainability and fair trade which make us possibly think a little bit longer when selecting our chocolate bars for example, but when you are making that decision, you are thinking more about your personal beliefs and values – have you ever wondered what the policy of the United States is regarding these things??

We are all so busy “doing all the things” every day, that we hardly ever stop to think about the fact that as consumers and food-eating humans, we are all actually part of a larger overriding U.S. and World Food System.?What we eat and what we buy matters, not just in connection with our own personal health, but at even higher levels, also to things like our economy and what foods we prioritize for import / export, what portion of what crop is used for biofuels, as well as how our tax dollars are spent on nutrition-related government programs such as the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) at U.S. public schools.

Food is Multidimensional and Worth Understanding at A Deeper Level

Food in all its forms, from crop to consumer-purchased product, is one critical resource of any nation.?Due to its vital status, there is value attached to it, and like any high value commodity, it should be used with careful intention. Given this, it is more than fair, and indeed extremely important for us as citizens to understand and help shape our country’s policies towards food.?Understanding food, not just from an individual cultural / beliefs perspective, but also from the standpoint of our country’s government provides invaluable context for why certain seemingly disconnected policies are structured the way they are, as well as allows us to better compare the processes and approaches used in the U.S. to those used in other countries.?Like many topics of concern to citizens, food is multidimensional and worth understanding at a deeper level.?

Shifting Food-Related Health Concerns and A New National Strategy

While the Covid-19 pandemic may have brought the concept of the larger U.S. Food System onto more Americans’ radars than it had been before (had you ever previously been so concerned about the meat or pasta supply chain before then?), that doesn’t mean that everyone now understands it, or is actively continuing to follow its news and related policies. But as with many things, it is always better to be late than never. In fact, now is actually a perfect time to start thinking at this larger scale, as well as to start following government involvement in the U.S. Food System, as we are just on the heels of an important presidentially-convened conference held in September 2022.

During that month, two important things happened.?First, President Biden convened a White House Conference on Hunger, Health and Nutrition – only the second one to be held in U.S. history, with the last one being held over 50 years ago under President Richard Nixon in 1969.(2) The 2022 conference identified a “resilient, equitable and nutrition-focused” food system as the overriding food system goal to which the U.S. government is currently committed to aspire.(3)?In addition, the Biden-Harris Administration also set a new “bold goal” for America – “to end hunger in America and increase healthy eating and physical activity by 2030 so fewer Americans experience diet-related diseases, while reducing health-related disparities.”(2)?Second, an associated “National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health” was put forward by the same administration during that time as the “playbook to meet this vital goal”(2), with an associated $8 million in new commitments as part of the strategy’s Call to Action.(4)

Transforming Strategy into Execution and Implementation Requires Accountability

To return to the question posed earlier - whether the U.S. has a unified food policy, today in February 2022 we can now say that an updated food-related U.S. National Strategy has been proposed with tax dollars committed to it. This is a good thing given that the primary food-related health problems of America now (diet-related diseases such as obesity and Type II Diabetes) are not the same as they were in 1969 (malnutrition). However, as with all presidential administration initiatives, what remains to be seen is what will actually wind up being funded and executed, and whether a coherent unified food policy will remain intact or wind up a handful of initiatives or new departments only adding on to what currently exists - a “collection of loosely related policies which all tie to food in various ways (energy, water, environment, health care, welfare, etc.) but which ultimately lacks a unifying, currently relevant goal.(1) If the American people as a nation of citizens understand and have bought-in to this new 2022 proposed strategy, then there will be an expectation of government accountability for the implementation of this plan, and we might hope for larger-scale updates and changes.

Right now, however, my question is, how many Americans are actually aware of this new proposal, let alone the proposed details of its execution??Yes, there was announcement preceding the September Task Force Conference, and yes, the conference was televised, but I have to admit that if I hadn’t actively been taking a course in U.S. Food Policy at the time, I would honestly probably not have known it was even going on, or if I had known, I don’t know that I would have completely understood its significance.?I suspect I am not alone in this.?All I can do now is write this article and continue to share food-related information with you as we move forward.?I’m no Pollyanna.?I don’t think this one new National Strategy will be a panacea.?I’m not even saying that I understand and support every single one of the vast number of details that come with it, or that you should either. All I know is that I want a healthier future for my kids than what our country’s current health trends are showing, and if that means needing to expand my knowledge of and involvement in the larger U.S. Food System and its related policy decisions, then that is time well spent.

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Resources:

Link to the newly-proposed Biden-Harris Administration National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health (September 2022)

This document contains:

• Executive Summary
• The current hunger, nutrition and health landscape of the U.S
• The 5 “Pillars” of the proposed National Strategy
• References for cited studies

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Resources for The 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health

This site includes links where you can:

• Get Conference Details
• Share Your Ideas
• Get Email Updates
• Join the Effort

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References:

1)???Ellen Messer, personal communication, September 9, 2022.

2) ?White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health: Ending Hunger and Reducing Diet-Related Diseases and Disparities. Health.gov website.?https://health.gov/our-work/nutrition-physical-activity/white-house-conference-hunger-nutrition-and-health???

3) Fatka, Jacqui, White House plans Hunger Conference for September 28. August 29, 2022. Feedstuffs Website. https://www.feedstuffs.com/news/white-house-plans-hunger-conference-september-28

??4)???White House Briefing Room Statement and Release. FACT SHEET: The Biden-Harris Administration Announces More Than $8 Billion in New Commitments as Part of Call to Action for White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. September 28, 2022.?https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/09/28/fact-sheet-the-biden-harris-administration-announces-more-than-8-billion-in-new-commitments-as-part-of-call-to-action-for-white-house-conference-on-hunger-nutrition-and-health/

A former Energy Industry Geologist, Jessica Wilson transitioned to becoming a Chef and Writer after the birth of her sons.?She is currently a freelance writer focusing on the topics of food & cooking, the U.S. food system & health, career transitions & personal growth, and women & motherhood.?For more of her writing, as well as food photography, collage art and infographics, please visit:?

www.phase2kitchen.com?or @phase2kitchen on Instagram.

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