Nutrition Month Update

March is a month that can bring change: you, your friends and family might become fans of college basketball teams you’ve never thought of before. It could be the beginning of spring, flowers might be in bloom where you live, in other places it might snow, and in some places, both happen in the same week! March is also National Nutrition Month, which provides a great opportunity for us all to reflect on the impact of nutrition on heart and brain health, and how public policy contributes to the ability of families to eat healthy food.

At the start of March, we talked about some different ways that Congress can work to ensure families have access to healthy foods. You called on Congress to pass a meaningful farm bill that supports the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and improves access to healthy food. The farm bill is a marathon, and we hope to see a bill by the end of this year.

You also asked Congress to oppose harmful nutrition policies in spending bills that would threaten health. This month Congress passed a spending bill that avoided a government shutdown and took steps to address public health. The bill funded critical programs to support healthy food for infants, toddlers, and pregnant people. It also provided funding to continue supporting SNAP. While you were successful in mitigating damaging nutrition policies, there are still provisions in the bill that will make it more difficult for people to eat healthy.

This spending package was a mixed bag, including many steps in the right direction, but just as many in the wrong direction. To make a true difference for the health and wellness of our nation, Congress must pass better spending bills that improve public health. We will continue to urge Congress to fund nutrition programs with bills that are free from special interests’ language that could weaken access to nutritious foods.

National Nutrition Month may be ending soon, but our advocacy for Congress to take action to ensure families have healthy food will continue. Click here and ask your lawmakers to take action.