Those of us who work in child nutrition and food systems already know the toll and negative impact diet-related chronic conditions have on communities – particularly in children. Federal child nutrition programs are overseen and managed by the USDA, whose support for farmers and industry often out weighs the health needs of the children the programs serve. Myself and many of my colleagues often express frustration at the lack of clarity and consistent nutrition science on which to build out critical programs which serve food insecure communities.
“The aggregate sum of research funding set aside for nutritional research across all federal agencies is estimated to be only $1.5 billion annually. To put this into perspective, national spending on candy is about $40 billion per year.”
There is a movement growing around the case to create a National Institute of Nutrition. Check out a preliminary draft of the NIN bill here as well as additional information.
