The Defeat Malnutrition Today coalition salutes President Joe Biden for his calling a White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.
This conference promises to shine a needed spotlight on the importance of good nutrition to health. Our nation needs just what the Conference has set its goal to produce; a roadmap to end hunger and improve nutrition by 2030.
It is our Coalition’s fervent hope that this White House Conference will elevate both the nation’s knowledge and concern about the growing problem of malnutrition especially in the older adult population. Today one out of every two older adults is either at risk of malnutrition or is malnourished. It has deep health consequences and has a direct link to many common chronic diseases and disparities.
To address malnutrition, we need to expand and improve screening; we need to address affordability, accessibility, and the availability of nutritious food vs the dynamic today where foods promoting poor nutrition are easier and cheaper to get.
Finally, this Conference needs to address the critical relationship between hospitals and health systems and community-based nutrition programs, especially for those older adults who may have increased malnutrition risk because of a recent hospitalization. Community-based nutrition programs are already serving over 11 million older adults every day and are essential to a successful nutrition care plan.
Our Coalition looks forward to participating in the Conference at all levels from the local to the regional to the Conference itself in September to finally productive implementation of the Conference roadmap.