White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health

10.11.2022 Update: On September 28, American Nutrition Association Chief Executive Officer Michael Stroka and Director of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Tracilyn MacKenzie Hobson attended the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in Washington, DC. The conference centered on five pillars:
 
    1.    Improve food access and affordability. 
    2.    Integrate nutrition and health. 
    3.    Empower all consumers to make and have access to healthy choices. 
    4.    Support physical activity for all. 
    5.    Enhance nutrition and food security research.

The event was attended by approximately 600 individuals representing a variety of sectors and entities, including government (federal, state, local, and Tribal); nonprofits; the private sector; agriculture; philanthropists; academic; and more. The White House presented a full day of programming related to the pillars above. A few highlights:

  • President Biden’s welcome speech. In his welcome remarks, President Biden referenced his administration’s just-released comprehensive national strategy, centered on the five pillars above, to end hunger and reduce diet-related disease by 2030, while reducing health disparities. His speech highlighted three key principles:  
    • helping more Americans access the food that will keep their families nourished and healthy; 
    • giving folks the options and information they need to make healthy dietary choices; and 
    • helping more Americans be physically active. (Read the full text of the speech here.)
  • Powerful keynote address by Chef José Andrés, during which he stated: “We need to stop giving breadcrumbs and start building bakeries.” 
  • Inspiring and informative plenary and breakout sessions featuring incredible speakers – including but not limited to Senator Bill Frist, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra in conversation with Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The closing plenary featured Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff and Ambassador Susan E. Rice interviewing young change-makers Joshua Williams (Founder, Joshua’s Heart Foundation) and Avani Rai (Healthy Living Advocate, National 4-H Council). (See the full agenda and watch recordings of conference sessions here.) 
  • The ANA representatives engaged in Small Group Working Sessions, during which conference participants met in small groups (8-10 individuals) to collaborate and identify actions they would take individually and collectively to help achieve the goal of ending hunger and reducing diet-related diseases.

As noted in the national strategy, “[e]veryone has an important role to play in addressing these challenges: local, State, territory and Tribal governments; Congress; the private sector; civil society; agricultural workers; philanthropists; academics; and of course, the Federal Government.” The Biden Administration is encouraging stakeholders to make their own commitments that will assist with achieving the goal of ending hunger and increasing healthy eating and physical activity by 2030 so fewer Americans experience diet-related diseases. The ANA is in the process of crafting a multi-year stakeholder commitment – stay tuned for an announcement!

9/28/2022 Update: Today the Biden-Harris Administration will host the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health — tune in live at YouTube.com/WhiteHouse starting at 9:30AM ET and join the dialogue by sharing your thoughts on Twitter by using the hashtag #WHConfHungerHealth.We are encouraging people to tune into the Conference together to start a dialogue to kick start change in your community.

9/27/2022 Update: The White House released its National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in preparation for tomorrow’s White House Conference.

9/12/2022 Update: The in-person event will be held Sept. 28 and is by invitation only. The conference will be livestreamed on this website and it is our understanding that individuals will be able to register to attend the conference virtually. Please check the White House Conference page from time to time for updates. The American Nutrition Association will be attending the conference in Washington DC.  For any questions or media requests, please contact us.

In 1969, the White House hosted its first and only conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health. The event influenced federal food policy for the next 50 years. Recently, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that in September 2022, it will host a second White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health to drive solutions to food and hunger related challenges that many citizens are facing. The Administration hopes the conference will “catalyze the public and private sectors around a coordinated strategy to accelerate progress and drive transformative change in the U.S. to end hunger, improve nutrition and physical activity, and close the disparities surrounding them.”

From June 27 – July 1, the ANA hosted a series of listening sessions related to the five pillars the White House articulated that will define the scope of the September 2022 conference:

  1. Improve food access and affordability: End hunger by making it easier for everyone — including urban, suburban, rural, and Tribal communities — to access and afford food. For example, expand eligibility for and increase participation in food assistance programs and improve transportation to places where food is available.
  2. Integrate nutrition and health: Prioritize the role of nutrition and food security in overall health, including disease prevention and management, and ensure that our health care system addresses the nutrition needs of all people.
  3. Empower all consumers to make and have access to healthy choices: Foster environments that enable all people to easily make informed healthy choices, increase access to healthy food, encourage healthy workplace and school policies, and invest in public messaging and education campaigns that are culturally appropriate and resonate with specific communities.
  4. Support physical activity for all: Make it easier for people to be more physically active (in part by ensuring that everyone has access to safe places to be active), increase awareness of the benefits of physical activity, and conduct research on and measure physical activity.
  5. Enhance nutrition and food security research: Improve nutrition metrics, data collection, and research to inform nutrition and food security policy, particularly on issues of equity, access, and disparities.


The ANA offered a survey option for those who were unable to attend the listening sessions. After the sessions concluded and the survey closed, the ANA reviewed all session notes and surveys and compiled all of the input/feedback that was received into one document, which was submitted to the White House on July 15, 2022.

View ANA's Submission