WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, January 31, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) convened its inaugural ‘Food is Medicine’ summit. The convening aimed to explore the nexus between nutrition and health, fostering easy access to healthy foods, and facilitating broader understanding of the nutritional underpinnings of health.
A highlight of the summit was the declaration by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra of three ground-breaking public-private partnerships with Instacart, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Feeding America. These collaborations aim to drive HHS’s nutrition objectives, making healthy food more accessible, and amplifying awareness about the health-nutrition connection.
A significant theme of the Food is Medicine summit was the power of partnership to engineer sustainable and integrated solutions. There was emphasis on strengthening the capacity of under-resourced communities, ensuring equitable access to nutritious foods.
With the vision of transitioning from an illness-care model to a wellness-care system, Secretary Becerra’s initiative dovetails with the White House National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. The ambitious goal is to reduce chronic diseases across the United States with these initiatives.
Panels discussed the Biden-Harris Administration’s investments in nutrition and the Food is Medicine agenda. Through funds appropriated for fiscal year 2023, HHS is developing a pioneering federal toolkit and implementation guidance to champion Food is Medicine. The toolkit, along with other federal resources, will help broaden access to Food is Medicine interventions and ameliorate nutritional chronic diseases and food insecurity.
As part of the initiative, HHS elucidated five Food is Medicine principles. They highlight the power of food in managing health conditions, emphasize public education about nutrition, advocate for policy changes prioritizing nutrition, incorporate nutrition into HHS services, and promote racial equity in nutrition and health.
The partnerships with Instacart, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Feeding America will foster research interchange, communication, and program and policy implementation. Each organization brings unique strengths to the table. Feeding America will leverage its nationwide network of food banks to combat hunger and increase access to nutritious food. Instacart will amplify its Instacart Health initiative to expand access to healthy food and scale food-as-medicine programs. The Rockefeller Foundation, with a proven track record in integrating food and nutrition into healthcare, will collaborate with HHS to identify how Food is Medicine programs can nurture better health outcomes, particularly for historically marginalized communities.
Media outlets such as Salon, NPR, and ABC 7 spotlighted the summit and the partnerships, highlighting the administration’s ambition to health-promoting policies centered on food and nutrition.
The Food as Medicine Summit and the ensuing public-private partnerships aim to enhance Americans’ health and well-being through mindful nutrition. By acknowledging the therapeutic power of food and instituting sustainable solutions, HHS aspires to lessen chronic diseases and promote a wellness-care system across the United States.
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and MSN.