By G. William Hogland, MedPage Today, December 4, 2019
Fifty years ago this week (Dec. 2-4, 1969), President Nixon called to order the first and only White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health. The conference grew out of the public's shock from Congressional testimony that there were malnourished children in the U.S. who were "hungry, weak, apathetic ... exactly what 'starvation' means."
It was largely because of this testimony that I began my public career seeking solutions to hunger and poverty in America. Along the way, I served as the Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, charged with implementing the country's major federal feeding programs. Over the past 50 years, much progress has been made in eliminating hunger in the richest country in the world. However, challenges with food access, poor diet, and obesity remain. Equally important is ensuring the large federal investment in programs to reduce hunger and malnutrition in America are achieving those goals.
Following the 1969 White House conference, bipartisan legislation led by senators Bob Dole (R-Kansas) and George McGovern (D-S.D.) significantly expanded the federal government's role in fighting hunger. President Nixon directed that the pilot food stamp program established by President Kennedy be expanded nationwide.
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