Advocating for Food and Nutrition Policy as a Pillar of Public Health

The well-known link between food security, nutrition status and health has been brought to the forefront during the COVID pandemic. The notoriety has led to robust conversation, collaboration and a renewed interest in the public health implications of food and nutrition especially as a level for health equity among communities of color. Advocating for access to food is one component of nutrition security, but the management of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity require health care policies that support medical nutrition therapy. This session describes efforts underway to advance food and nutrition policy for both prevention and treatment across the lifecycle.
Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the link between food security, nutrition status and health.
2. Recite policy efforts underway to promote food access and nutrition security as well as access to medical nutrition therapy across the lifecycle.
3. Identify opportunities for advocacy at the local, state and federal level.