Message from the President and CEO 2022

When I joined Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) as the new President and CEO in February, I looked forward to building on the incredible legacy of this powerful organization and the work of its dedicated staff.

My North Star throughout my entire professional journey – and an ethos that the PHA team shares - has been to ensure access to nutritious food as a human right for all. Our food system needs to serve everyone, especially the most vulnerable. We know that good food powers better health outcomes so that people can live more resilient lives. Good food is not only a preventive measure against diet-related disease, but also one that can mitigate its effects and even reverse debilitating health conditions.

We also know that the food system is not currently optimized to advance the twin engines of food and health equity. Far too often, healthy food is not within reach or affordable to many Americans resulting in diets that drive chronic illness and daily struggles with good health. Nourishing food should not be a luxury. We all need good food to learn, grow, and thrive.

Before joining PHA, my entire life’s work was with WhyHunger — focused on providing critical resources to support grassroots movements to end hunger and advance the human right to nutritious food in more than 30 countries. This critical work exposed the root causes of hunger while investing in solutions that would transform and last, heralding the power of people in communities who understand the interconnectedness of hunger with food sovereignty, food justice, and health equity.

Lack of access to nourishing food threatens health and limits opportunity, it marginalizes communities, and forces migration. I believe all Americans should be able to enjoy the abundance of nourishing food in their lives as a reliable means to advancing good health.

As you will see in our 2022 Progress Report, PHA continues to be uniquely positioned to work with partners across sectors to transform the food landscape. PHA’s leadership in the food equity movement is an opportunity for me to continue ensuring that every American has long-lasting access to good food and not just empty calories in the moment. We are centering this work under the banner of Good Food for All. It’s a rallying cry for change that is long overdue.

We have made significant progress on our commitment of adding 100 million servings of vegetables and fruits to the marketplace by 2025 and standing together to expand the fight for food equity at every level of the food system. But there is still much more work to be done. I’m looking forward to elevating our goals around nutrition security and creating a new frontier in food action and public health.

With gratitude, Noreen Springstead
President and CEO
Partnership for a Healthier America