Overarching recommendations for conducting the Conference: Establish quantifiable goals to increase healthy eating, reduce nutrition insecurity, and

The first conference occurred over 50 years ago, spurring the movement toward the Nutrition Facts panel and leading to the creation and expansion of critical nutrition and anti-hunger safety net programs: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs (schoo. [...] As such, we recommend that food justice, health equity, and racial justice principles and strategies permeate the content of the Conference to ensure recommendations that promote equity are included in the nation’s food policy agenda. [...] While the creation of the Office of Nutrition at NIH in 2015, its move to the Office of the Director in 2021, and the release of NIH’s first agency-wide strategic plan for nutrition research in 2020 are important steps forward, establishing a National Institute of Nutrition could further essential nutrition research within NIH and across federal departments and agencies. [...] Further improvements could be achieved by re- examining the SNAP retailer application process and requiring retailers to adhere to certain marketing and stocking guidelines that increase the availability, placement, and promotion of products that align with the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans. [...] We further appreciate your work to modernize WIC to reach more eligible mothers and their children and better meet their nutritional needs by updating the food packages to reflect the recommendations of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.