Dive Brief:
- The White House announced Tuesday 141 new commitments for its Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities.
- Pledges include an expansion of a commitment by 37 dairy companies to reduce added sugars and calories in non-fat and 1% flavored milk provided to schools and participants of federal summer lunch programs.
- Among other pledges, Ahold Delhaize USA is investing almost $1 million to reach more than 200,000 children with nutrition messaging in 2024. Instacart will work with Columbia, South Carolina, to address the city’s food deserts and also work with Washington, D.C.’s, health department to pilot food-as-medicine offerings.
Dive Insight:
The new pledges build on the food and grocery industry’s efforts to address hunger and food access as well as further the White House’s historic public-private partnership effort.
The White House held its historic Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health in September 2022. At the time of the conference, the Biden administration announced more than $8 billion in private- and public-sector commitments.
The dairy industry's Healthy School Milk Commitment, spearheaded by the International Dairy Foods Association, involves dozens of school milk processors representing approximately 95% of the school milk volume in the United States. Processors commit to providing strawberry, chocolate and other flavored school milk options with no more than 10 grams of added sugar per 8 fluid ounce serving by the 2024-2025 school year.
As part of the latest pledge, processors will expand the commitment to include the U.S. Department of Agriculture's summer food programs beginning in summer 2026.
“The Healthy School Milk Commitment ensures all children, especially our most vulnerable, have access to nutritious milk options throughout the year with less added sugar and fewer calories," IDFA President and CEO Michael Dykes said in a statement.
In the grocery sector, Instacart is providing 500 D.C. residents $75 per month in Instacart Fresh Funds for six months to purchase diabetes-friendly foods through a virtual storefront for home delivery or pickup.
Instacart also said it will boost nutritious food access for seniors by accepting MedicareAdvantage health benefits online. The grocery technology company also will partner with No Kid Hungry and Mercy Housing to expand access to nutritious food and health information for people living in affordable housing communities in food-insecure areas and then study the outcomes.
With its $1 million pledge, Ahold Delhaize said that its U.S. banners including Food Lion, Giant, The Giant Company, Hannaford and Stop & Shop will use new and existing programs to “share the benefits of good nutrition with socioeconomically diverse children” across its operations in 18 states and Washington, D.C.
Several other companies in the grocery sector made new commitments as part of the Tuesday announcement. Whole Foods said it will expand its Nourishing Our Neighborhood program to increase community-based food rescue efforts, while Gopuff said it will invest $1 million to build awareness of SNAP on its platform among communities in need and will donate 3 million pounds of food to local food banks and charities across the U.S. by 2028.
The new commitments build on the Biden administration’s goals of ending hunger and reducing diet-related diseases by 2030.
