White House Counts on Private Sector Help to End U.S. Hunger by 2030

The Biden administration is counting on various partnerships with the private sector to help fund and realize its ambitious goal of ending hunger in America by 2030.

President Biden is holding a conference on hunger, nutrition and health on Wednesday, the first at the White House since 1969. This conference under President Richard Nixon was a pivotal moment that influenced US food policy for 50 years.

The conference, organized by Republican Nixon, led to a major expansion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps, and launched the Women, Infants and Children program, which serves half of the babies born in the U.S. by providing their mothers with advice on child rearing, breastfeeding support and food aid.

This year’s conference, organized by Mr. Biden, a Democrat, is dedicated to his goal of essentially ending food insecurity for all Americans by the end of the decade. It also aims to promote healthy eating, nutritious food and physical activity so that fewer people suffer from diabetes, obesity, hypertension and other nutrition-related diseases.

Ahead of the conference, Mr. Biden’s administration released a list of more than $8 billion in commitments from private companies, philanthropic foundations and industry groups. These range from direct donations to in-kind service contributions and include:

• Pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has committed $20 million to improve access to healthy food and safe places for physical activity in marginalized communities.
• A $3.85 million commitment from grocery store chain Publix to deliver food to local food banks and create free mobile pantries.
• $22 million from food company Danone to fund a program to help “at least 300 million Americans develop healthier eating habits.”
• Grocery chain Meijer’s commitment to offer up to 10% off to encourage SNAP users to buy fruits and vegetables.

Some of the goals of the conference echo former first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative to fight childhood obesity and promote healthy eating, emphasizing the need for access to better, healthier food and exercise.

While Mr. Biden touts a successful campaign for buy-in from the private sector, some of the strongest potential obstacles to his proposals lie in an increasingly partisan Congress.

Proposed policy changes include expanding SNAP eligibility, expanding access to free school meals, and extending summer meal benefits to more school children. All of these changes would require congressional approval.