Posts tagged public health
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 Comments
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 policy Comment
How Food Labels Can Impact Our Health

A new study suggests that the revamped food labels may drastically improve the prevalence of heart disease and diabetes in Americans. In 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the most extensive revision of the Nutrition Facts food labels since 1993. After many delays and push back from the food industry, manufacturers are mandated to implement the new and improved labeling policy between 2020 and 2021. One of the biggest changes to the food label is the addition of the added sugar line. The reason for this was simple- Americans consume too much added sugar.

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Nutrition, Public HealthStephanie Hodgesadded sugar, nutrition, public health, food labels, fdaComment