Chairman McGovern Announces Roundtable Examining Food as Medicine
Seventh in a series of events examining the steps Congress and the Biden administration could take to finally end food insecurity in this country
WASHINGTON, DC — Rules Committee Chairman James P. McGovern (D-MA) today announced that the committee will be holding a roundtable examining food as medicine on Wednesday, September 1st at 2pm EDT. The event is the seventh in a series of committee events highlighting the reality of food insecurity in America and examining the steps that Congress and the Biden administration could take to equitably combat it. Ending Hunger in America: Food as Medicine follows the committee roundtable last month, Ending Hunger in America: Hunger Across the Territories.
“What we eat plays a major role in our overall health. Prioritizing healthy meals can help prevent costly hospital visits and expensive prescription drugs while lowering hospital admissions, improving outcomes, and saving money. As we work to end the hunger crisis in this country and make a White House hunger conference a reality, we must do more to ensure that policymakers understand that food is medicine,” said Chairman McGovern.
Chairman McGovern recently asked Americans to share their experiences, research, and possible solutions to help guide the committee in this work. He has also called for a substantive, policy-focused White House hunger conference to create the roadmap to end hunger by 2030, which the United Nations has called for.
Co-chair of the House Hunger Caucus, McGovern authored legislation which created the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program. Now in its third decade, McGovern-Dole aims to provide at least one nutritious meal a day to some of the world’s most vulnerable children in a school setting. It has reduced the incidence of hunger among school-age children, increased school enrollments and attendance, and increased the support of families and communities for education. He also founded the bipartisan Food is Medicine working group in Congress to highlight how critical healthy meals are for American families.
What: Ending Hunger in America: Food as Medicine
Who:
- Barbara Petee, Executive Director, The Root Cause Coalition
- Dr. Steven Chen, Chief Medical Officer, ALL IN Alameda County
- Dr. Trenor Williams, Founder and CEO, Socially Determined
- Karen Pearl, President & CEO, God’s Love We Deliver; Chair of the Food is Medicine Coalition
- Michel Nischan, Co-Founder & Chairman, Wholesome Wave
- Santana Diaz, Director of Culinary Operations; Executive Chef Food & Nutrition Services UC Davis Health
When: Wednesday, September 1st at 2pm EDT
Where: This proceeding will be streamed live on rules.house.gov via Cisco Webex
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