Nutrition Policy

Only one in 10 Americans meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption. Federal nutrition policy plays a pivotal role in helping Americans address barriers to consumption goals. We support ensuring all federal nutrition programs align with the government’s own fruit and vegetable serving recommendations (as included in the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans).

Strategy:

Implement the Fruit and Vegetable Moonshot – an 8-point plan submitted to the White House to inform the September 2022 White House Conference on Nutrition, Hunger and Health to dramatically reduce diet-related disease by 2030.
Identify opportunities to improve access and consumption of fruits and vegetables through federal policy and programs.

Our Policy Positions:

Produce Prescriptions

Embed Produce Prescriptions (PRx) as a covered benefit for members of all government-sponsored health plans whose healthcare providers and case managers diagnose as having or having elevated risk for diet-related illness as well as having or having elevated risk for food insecurity. This includes Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Plan (CHIP), Medicare and Medicare Advantage, as well as beneficiaries of Indian Health Services, Veterans Health Administration, and TRICARE.

Child Nutrition Reauthorization

Expand the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) to all elementary schools that qualify under the Community Eligibility Provision. 
Apply a Cash Value Benefit for fruits and vegetables to Summer and Pandemic EBT (all EBT for kids). 
Allow schools and other sites that participate in existing USDA child nutrition programs to distribute USDA Emergency foods.
Ensure all children can access healthy meals at no charge to the student.
Make USDA School Kitchen Equipment Grants permanent.

WIC Program

Permanently increase the Cash Value Benefit for fruits and vegetables to the levels consistent with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the 2017 recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences.
Expand WIC benefits to age 6.

SNAP

Make dietary quality a core SNAP objective
Invest and implement strategies to increase access to fruits and vegetables, including a benefit participants can spend on the fruits and vegetables of their choice.

Federal Emergency Feeding Programs/TEFAP

Increase the amount and variety of fresh produce purchased through USDA procurement program, including passing the Fresh Produce Procurement Reform Act (H.R. 5309)

Mollie Van Lieu

Vice President, Food & Nutrition Policy

Government Relations

+1(202)303-3403 Email Mollie Van Lieu

Nutrition & Growing Consumption