Booker Releases Best Coverage Priorities for White House Meeting on Hunger, Nourishment, and Wellness

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Forward of the White Property Conference on Starvation, Diet, and Wellness, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) outlined his top plan objectives that have the potential to considerably enhance nutrition and lower starvation and food plan related diseases in the US. The Convention will be held on September 28, 2022 and is the greatest whole-of-govt initiative to enhance the national food stuff system in more than 50 yrs. 

Booker urged for superior integration of Food items as Medication –programs that integrate the ability of food to protect against and deal with diet program-related disease– into federal health care. “Our healthcare technique mostly ignores diet as a focused prospect for strengthening overall health and lowering healthcare investing, irrespective of it getting the major lead to of weak well being. Impressive new tactics can integrate nutrition and healthy ingesting for both equally treatment and prevention across federal health care programs,” wrote Sen. Booker in a letter to Ambassador Susan Rice. “Programs this sort of as medically customized foods and develop prescriptions need to turn into covered benefits by Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans Administration in purchase to protect against and handle serious condition.”

Furthermore, Booker pushed for the Food and Drug Administration to use its existing lawful authority to protect consumers. “Front-of-bundle labeling—such as warning labels or stoplights that signal to buyers if the meals product or service is also superior in salt, additional sugar, or saturated fat—can encourage additional equitable access to nourishment information and facts, motivate firms to reformulate their solutions to be healthier, and stimulate healthier eating plans,” Booker mentioned. 

“The the greater part of sodium and extra sugar ingestion in our diet regime appear from ultra-processed foods. Very very little development will be made to strengthen our eating plan and cut down diet program-linked disorder if extremely-processed meals go unchecked,” Booker ongoing. “In purchase to significantly reduce diet regime-connected condition, the Food and drug administration should need mandatory reductions of excessive sodium and extra sweeteners which include sugars.” 

Booker also called upon President Biden to situation an Executive Get to demand use of the Meals Provider Recommendations for Federal Amenities (FSG) for meals and drinks bought and served at federally owned and operated amenities, which would ensure that healthier meals is out there on federal residence. “Millions of folks rely on federal food stuff support functions, including federal staff, veterans in Veterans Affairs hospitals, customers of the armed products and services, and people today who are incarcerated in federal prisons,” Booker stated. “An govt buy demanding the use of the FSG would improve our government buying to strengthen health and fitness and lower very long-term healthcare costs. Procurement regular with the FSG would also help balanced food stuff purchases from unbiased spouse and children farmers and help address weather alter. In addition, all federal agencies should really make a vegetarian entrée offered almost everywhere that federal government cafeterias are serving foods.”

Sen. Booker worked with Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) and U.S. Representatives James P. McGovern (D-MA) and Jackie Walorski (R-IN) on bipartisan, bicameral legislation (S.3064/H.R.5724) to support create the White Residence Convention on Hunger, Nourishment, and Wellbeing. In August, he hosted a listening session with New Jersey anti-starvation advocates, state officers, and agricultural stakeholders in advance of the White Home Meeting on Hunger, Nourishment, and Well being scheduled for September. 

 

Total text of the letter can be found here.