Biden announces $1.7 BILLION in effort to end 'hunger' in the U.S. by 2030 with White House saying 17 million households don't have enough food

The White House announced $1.7 billion in commitments across the country on Tuesday as part of a call-to-action to help end hunger in the United States by 2030 and promote healthy living.

17 million households were not able to get enough food in 2022, according to the administration. In about 6.8 million of those households, a member had to skip meals or make other changes at times because there was not enough money and resources for food.

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff was joined by renowned chef Jose Andrews, basketball player Elena Delle Donne, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and other administration officials to announce the $1.7 billion in commitments during an event at the White House Tuesday afternoon.

Fourteen sports leagues and players associations, along with healthy systems, insurers, non-profits, local elected officials and other organizations are all getting in on the action to help combat hunger and increase nutrition. In total, more than 140 public and private sector commitments have been made.

The announcement builds on $8 billion in commitments announced in September 2022 at the Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health.

17 million households were not able to get enough food in 2022, according to the administration. In about 6.8 million of those households, a member had to go without or skip meals at times because there was not enough money and resources for food.

Doug Emhoff announcing the $1.7 billion in new commitments as part of the challenge to end hunger and promote healthy living by 2030 during an event at the White House Tuesday

Among those committed as part of the challenge are sixteen cities across the country launching a task force and/or creating an action plan to combat hunger and reduce diet-related diseases.

Other efforts include healthcare companies like Ascension which made commitments that focus on identifying disparities in health equity and working to increase access to fresh, affordable produce, or insurers like Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina which is expanding one-on-one nutrition coaching and its twice-monthly healthy food delivery pilot.

At the same time, the organization Food Forward is planning to recover 290 million pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste and distribute it to people facing food insecurity. By increasing their recovery by 20 million pounds annually by 2026, it's estimated the organization will provide 1.6 billion more servings of fresh fruit and vegetables to historically underserved communities.

And the iconic Harlem Globetrotters are also getting involved with a public awareness campaign on the important link between good nutrition and healthy activity. They've committed through a two-year partnership with KABOOM!, a nonprofit that works to bring playspaces to children in underserved communities.

Harlem Globetrotters among the more than 140 organizations, businesses and governments that have committed $1.7 billion in challenge to end U.S. hunger and diet-related diseases

President Biden speaking at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health on September 28, 2022. 

The Biden administration first laid out its plan to end hunger and reduce diet-related diseases in the United States by 2030 at a conference in Washington in September 2022. The conference outlined actions companies, local governments and other organizations could take to help achieve that goal.

Included in the $8 billion in commitments initially announced was more than $2.5 billion from startup companies focused on finding solutions for food insecurity. Another $4 billion came from philanthropic efforts to improve access to nutritious food and promote health.

As part of the effort, the administration laid out its own national strategy to address hunger and diet related diseases. Some steps it has taken include the FDA working to develop a front-of-package labeling system to help consumers understand nutrition information. It also expanded access to school breakfast and lunch for students at 3,000 more school districts in high-need areas and outlined other initiatives.