Policymakers Should Invest in Our Children by Strengthening Nutrition Programs

By Leslie Sarasin, President and CEO, FMI

Last May, I had the honor of joining together with former Agriculture Secretaries Dan R. Glickman and Ann M. Veneman and world-renowned chef José Andrés to serve as co-chairs of the newly formed Food and Nutrition Security Task Force at the Bipartisan Policy Center. This task force also includes extremely knowledgeable members of the business community, nonprofit sector, think tanks, academia and health care.

Our goal is to improve access to healthy foods and diet quality for all Americans by offering recommendations through a series of three reports to invest in and strengthen our food and nutrition assistance programs. This is especially important in light of the pressures the COVID-19 pandemic has put on those programs and Americans’ increasing focus on health and well-being.

Zeroing in on Child Nutrition

Our latest report released last month, “Strengthening the Child Nutrition Programs,” focuses on improving federal child nutrition programs in a way that aligns with science and supports overall child health and well-being, both in school and at home. While no small feat, accomplishing this goal is vital to the health of our families and our nation, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that more than 11 million children are currently food insecure.

It is critical that the food industry and government work together constructively to encourage greater consumer adoption of healthy eating habits, particularly among one of the most precious and important populations in our country – our children.

Taking a Comprehensive Approach

At the outset of developing this report, we made a purposeful decision to take a comprehensive approach in examining the numerous government programs that support child nutrition and offering relevant policy recommendations to strengthen their impact. For example, we propose expanding the free school, childcare, afterschool, and summer meals programs to move toward all children having access to nutritious foods to allow them to learn and grow.

Of course, having access to healthful foods outside of school is just as important. That’s why the Task Force also recommends making the Summer EBT program permanent to provide students with EBT benefits during school breaks, holidays, closures, and other emergencies, particularly once the federal COVID-19 emergency declaration ends.

Streamlining Eligibility and Increasing Participation

Apart from bolstering the child nutrition programs themselves, the Task Force also proposes streamlining and facilitating eligibility, enrollment, and data-sharing across several food assistance programs, such as school breakfast and lunch programs, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, Pandemic EBT and Summer EBT, SNAP, and others.

Increasing federal agency information sharing will help the government better identify families that qualify for these programs, while streamlining eligibility across programs will make it easier for families to enroll and begin receiving benefits.

Aligning Federal Programs with Dietary Guidelines

Importantly, the Task Force also recommends strengthening nutrition standards for all programs to better align them with the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans. We support this recommendation to leverage evidence-based approaches to nutrition and healthy eating patterns that will improve the overall well-being of children receiving food assistance.

Engaging Policymakers to Act

It is vital that our nation’s policymakers take steps to strengthen these programs in a way that supports increased access to affordable, healthful foods for our nation’s children. We urge our elected officials and regulatory agencies to strongly consider implementing the recommendations in the Task Force’s report to ensure every American family can secure the food they need for their children to lead robust and healthy lives.