Washington, D.C.—The Natural Products Association (NPA) reported that, for the first time since 1969, President Joe Biden is hosting the

White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. This conference follows a series of meetings held in recent months during which White House officials strategized with nutrition and health experts. The goal: to end hunger and increase healthier outcomes by 2030, reducing prevalence of diet-related diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension in the U.S.

NPA participated in these discussions and submitted commentson how to address nutrition and health integration to the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.

NPA Stresses Need to Prioritize Nutrition

“Prioritizing the role of nutrition in overall health, including disease prevention and management, is a goal of the NPA and the Biden Administration,” said Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D., NPA President and CEO. “We thank the Biden Administration for providing NPA with the opportunity to provide our analysis of how increasing access to essential vitamins and minerals empowers consumers to make healthcare choices and have access to nutritional products. NPA has long championed expanding access to nutritional supplements through social programs such as SNAP/WIC and through employer-funded programs like Health Savings Accounts. We look forward to our continued work with the Administration and Congress to find legislative solutions to address our common goals.”

In its comments, NPA wrote, "Vitamin and mineral deficiency should not be as prevalent in a country as developed as the United States, especially in vulnerable populations, as reported. We need to provide Americans with more choices when it comes to their health care."

NPA said the 1969 Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health influenced the country’s policy agenda for the next 50 years. In its comments, NPA explained, "That pivotal event helped galvanize actions that included creating life-changing programs like school lunches, the Supplemental Feeding Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC), and changes to how we label foods. The 2022 White House Conference brings together the public and private sectors around a coordinated strategy to accelerate progress and drive transformative change in the United States to end hunger, improve nutrition and physical activity, and close disparities surrounding them. The science shows that supplementation with essential nutrients can help improve outcomes. We look forward to our continued work towards a healthier United States of America."

Related: CRN Spotlights Need to Address Nutrient Gaps to White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health

About the 2022 Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health

The 2022 conference will be held Wednesday, September 28, 2022. NPA said it will bring together the public and private sectors (federal government, local, state, territory, and tribal governments, nonprofit and community groups, and private companies) to coordinate strategies 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.