ASN Advocacy
The American Society for Nutrition advocates for its members by working with Congress and federal agencies on issues that impact the way nutrition scientists and clinicians conduct research or treat their patients. The Society’s members and staff also collaborate with organizations on common issues related to nutrition to build coalitions and advance issues of mutual interest.
Congressional Briefings
ASN, singly or in partnership with like-minded organizations, holds congressional briefings to educate policymakers and other interested stakeholders on the importance of nutrition research and the need for further support.
“Do We Need a Plan B for Plan S? The Impact of Open Access Publishing on Scholarly Publications and Scientific Societies,” February 25, 2019
“You Are What Your Bugs Eat! Diet, The Gut Microbiota and its Metabolome in Human Health and Disease,” October 25, 2018
“What are Children Eating at School Lunch? 5 Years After the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act;” September 11, 2015
“Maternal and Child Nutrition: New Learnings and Implications for Development Agencies,” June 2, 2014; US Agency for International Development (USAID) Brownbag Seminar
“Easy as ABC, 123! Integrating Nutrition and Activity in Early Childhood Learning to Build Lifelong Healthy Habits;” March 31, 2014
“From Childhood Obesity to SNAP: Opportunities and Challenges in Nutrition Research;” December 4, 2013
“Out of the Trash and Onto Trays: Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in the School Lunch Program;” September 14, 2012
“Advancing Discovery: The Role of NIH Research in Fighting Diabetes”; September 15, 2011; co-sponsored with the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), and other organizations.
Anastasia Albanese-O’Neill, RN, parent of child with Type-1 Diabetes
“Bringing Urban Agriculture to Life“; May 9, 2011; co-sponsored with the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) and the Council of Food, Agricultural, and Resource Economics (C-FARE).
Dr. Katherine Alaimo, Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University
Dr. Jim Hanson, Dept. of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Maryland
Kristen McIvor, Community Garden Coordinator, Tacoma/Pierce County, Washington State
Coalition Involvement
ASN works through partnerships with like-minded organizations and coalitions, an alliance of organizations whose combined action can lead to a mutually beneficial end result: to advance human nutrition research and its funding, and ensure the sound application and translation of nutrition science in legislation and policy.
As a member of the Federation of American Societies in Experimental Biology (FASEB), ASN strongly supports the public policy work of this coalition of 31 scientific societies representing more than 130,000 researchers worldwide. FASEB’s Office of Public Affairs (OPA) collaborates with ASN’s advocacy and science policy staff, and the work of the two organizations is complementary.
ASN is a member of various national coalitions and partnerships, including:
Aging in Motion (AIM) Coalition
Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Coalition
Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST)
Dietary Guidelines Alliance
Friends of National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)
Friends of National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) International
MyPlate National Strategic Partner
National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (NANA)
National Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research (NC-FAR)
Non-communicable Disease (NCD) Alliance
Osteoarthritis Action Alliance
Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance
Supporters of Agricultural Research (SOAR)
Research!America
ASN Fiscal Year 2023 Funding Recommendations
Support fiscal year (FY) 2023 budgets that increase the investment in nutrition research
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
FY 2023 ASN Recommendation: $49 billion
A $49 billion budget would allow NIH to accelerate progress in the NIH Common Fund’s Nutrition for Precision Health, powered by the All of Us Research Program and can include the President’s budget request for the NIH Office of Nutrition Research to be funded at $97 million. $49 billion provides a 5% increase across all NIH institutes and centers, expands dual purpose research in biomedicine and agriculture among NIH and other federal agencies.
U.S. Department of Agriculture/ Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (USDA/ AFRI)
FY 2023 ASN Recommendation: $700 million
A $700 million budget would allow AFRI to support more competitive grants that ensure a safe, sustainable, nutritious, affordable, adequate food supply and bring AFRI to its fully authorized funding level of $700 million/ year.
U.S. Department of Agriculture/ Agricultural Research Service (USDA/ ARS)
FY 2023 ASN Recommendation: $1.9 billion
A $1.9 billion budget reflects the President’s budget request for ARS’ four national program areas, which include nutrition, food safety and quality, and $15 million for the Big Data Initiative. This increase would allow ARS research to continue to support more jobs and keep pace with innovation, emerging challenges, and global competition.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics (CDC NCHS)
FY 2023 ASN Recommendation: $210 million
NCHS has been flat funded for years, losing purchasing power while facing increased costs. A $210 million budget would allow NCHS to keep pace with necessary survey innovations and collect information needed to monitor nutrition, public health and health care without cutting back on any major surveys such as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Questions? Please contact Sarah Ohlhorst, MS, RD, Chief Science Policy Officer (240.428.3647; sohlhorst@nutrition.org)
Hill Visits
On December 6, 2017, 10 ASN members participated in ASN Capitol Hill visits. Representatives of ASN met with 20 congressional offices, including four members of Congress, to urge them to negotiate an agreement to lift the budget caps established under the 2011 Budget Control Act and to pass a fiscal year 2018 budget through an omnibus appropriations bill or any format that avoids another “continuing resolution” (CR). ASN members framed their discussions by sharing personal stories about how federal funding cuts affect their research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and other research agencies. Participants suggested that Congress view nutrition research laboratories as small businesses, which lose purchasing power and are forced to lay-off staff as a result of funding cuts. Several also spoke about the importance of having funding to train the next generation of nutrition scientists as well as the lack of career opportunities available for younger researchers in the current climate. Members of Congress and their staff expressed appreciation for the information shared by ASN members.
ASN has also held Hill Day events in 2007, 2013, and 2014, and regularly joins nearly 400 other advocates from scientific organizations, patient groups, and research institutions to take part in the Rally for Medical Research Capitol Hill Day. Now in its fifth year, this event urges Congress to provide support for the NIH.