US to put calorie info on food packages, hold first nutrition summit in 5 decades
In a first after nearly 50 years, the White House will be hosting a Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health where officials will discuss food policies
In a rare move, the Biden administration is considering moving the nutrition labels on the food packaging to the front as the White House is planning a series of policy changes in order to tackle America’s food and diet-related diseases by the year 2030. “Hunger, diet-related disease, and the disparities surrounding them impact millions of Americans, and the COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the urgency of addressing these issues,” Ambassador Susan E Rice, domestic policy adviser, said in a statement on Sep 27, Tuesday.
In a first over the span of nearly 50 years, the White House will be hosting a Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health where Biden administration officials are expected to table the documents related to these changes. The administration early on Tuesday outlined some of the policies that it is either planning to omit or amend at the conference in a 44-page summary published online. It includes the rules on how the food in America is packaged and sold to the customers and involves moving the black and white nutrition label on the front of the package which the consumers can easily refer to.
The measure will help the Biden administration address “urgent” hunger and diet-related diseases that impact the health and wellbeing of millions of Americans, particularly after the devastating global COVID-19 pandemic.
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“The Biden-Harris Administration will host the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health on September 28, 2022.
In parallel to the conference, we will be announcing a National Strategy that identifies steps the government will take and catalyzes the public and private sectors to address the intersections between food, hunger, nutrition, and health,” the US Department of Health and Human Services announced.
Addressing food and nutrition insecurity, diet-related diseases
The first and the only White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health was held in 1969, nearly 50 years ago. During the summit, the officials executed actions that were deemed life-changing. They launched the programs like school lunches, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and changes to how the food items were labelled.
Ahead of the upcoming conference on Sep 28, HHS and other US Federal agencies compiled a report to present to the White House which includes identifying the existing programming that impacts food and nutrition insecurity and diet-related diseases. The report identified statutory, regulatory, and budgetary solutions to ending hunger across the US, as well as improving nutrition and health among Americans.
No one should have to wonder where their next meal will come from. We must take bold steps now—with government, the private sector, non-profits, and communities working together—to build a healthier future for every American,” Ambassador Susan E Rice, iterated.
