by Jack McEvoy
The Biden administration is working to end hunger and “diet-related diseases” by hiring more minority nutritionists, according to a White House plan released Monday.
The administration says that hiring more non-white registered dietitian nutritionists will help minority communities that experience higher rates of “food insecurity,” obesity and type 2 diabetes, according to the White House National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. The Health Resources and Services Administration will begin collaborating with Minority Serving Institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 2023 to recruit and train a diverse crop of nutrition experts as part of the White House’s plan.
“A more diverse health care workforce would better serve communities of color, which suffer from higher rates of food insecurity and diet-related disease,” the memo states. “Patients are less likely to seek care or share information if they perceive ethnic or social differences with their health care providers.”
The White House claims that increasing the number of black, hispanic and Native American nutritionists will make sure dietary healthcare is more “equitable,” according to the document. The Biden administration claims that 70% of registered nutritionists are white while 1% are Native American, 3% are black and 6% are Native American, citing a survey conducted by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2021.
“The health care workforce, including registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs), plays a central role in preventing, treating, and managing diet-related diseases,” the plan states.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) will work with Land-Grant Universities such as Tuskegee University to further “diversity, equity and inclusion” as well as “cultural competency” among government workers who develop the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), according to the plan. Such provisions are part of President Joe Biden’s plan to end hunger and increase healthy eating by 2030 to prevent diet-related diseases.
The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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Jack McEvoy is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Nutritionist” by Yaroslav Shuraev.
