The Nutrition Hub network will enhance USDA’s contributions to education, research and underserved communities by focusing on precision nutrition, the agency shared in a statement last week.
According to USDA, precision nutrition “is a tailored approach to diet guidance based on individual subpopulations’ unique characteristics, which include dietary intake and food composition, genetics, socioeconomic and psychosocial characteristics, food environments, cultural factors, physical activity and health status.”
USDA’s $4.5 million investment for the Nutrition Hubs, which was made available in July, will support efficient and scalable methods to improve food and nutrition security and reduce challenges associated with diet-related chronic diseases, particularly in marginalized and at-risk communities, including Tribal, Hispanic and Insular Areas, according to the agency.
“Nutrition security means everyone has consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, affordable foods essential to optimal health and well-being,” Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack shared in a prepared statement.
“Ensuring nutrition security for all has been a cornerstone priority for the Biden-Harris Administration, and these new Nutrition Hubs will pave the way for even greater strides towards achieving that goal,” he added.
The three Hubs serve as an extension of USDA’s pilot Nutrition Hub which was established last year in partnership with Southern University and A&M College under USDA’s Agricultural Science Center of Excellence for Nutrition and Diet for Better Health (ASCEND for Better Health) program.
Three Land-grant universities to house Nutrition Hubs
The Hubs will be located at three Land-grant Universities: University of Hawaii, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Utah State University.
“USDA’s Land-grant University partners are the perfect place to house these three new Nutrition Hubs because of the experience they have building their communities through education and Extension outreach programming,” Chavonda Jacobs-Young, under secretary for research, education and economics and USDA’s chief scientist, said in a prepared statement.
“Their goal will be to better understand the real-world opportunities and challenges around food, nutrition and diet-related health disparities, and to develop coordinated science-based solutions and resources for their populations,” Jacobs-Young added.
Pacific Nutrition Hub at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa focuses on strengthening nutrition efforts in the US Affiliated Pacific Region through data-driven methods and professional training specifically catered to the region’s Native populations, who have distinct cultural and biological languages and traditions.
The Healthy Living for Hispanic Communities USDA Nutrition Hub at Texas A&M Institute for Advancing Health through Agriculture will enhance food and nutrition security, address diet-related disparities and promote better health outcomes in Hispanic communities.
Utah State University’s Western Region Nutrition Security Collaborative aims to promote interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration to tackle barriers like structural inequalities and enhance equitable access to health-promoting foods.
Previous USDA funding strengthens retail and supply chain projects
In November, USDA, in partnership with Reinvestment Fund, allocated nearly $6 million towards food retail and supply chain projects in underserved communities.
The projects include 28 states, plus Washington DC, and aim to improve healthy food access and strengthen local and regional food systems.
