Commissioner Nikki Fried Proclaims Malnutrition Awareness Week in Florida

Tallahassee, Fla. — Today, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, an independently-elected member of the Florida Cabinet, issued a cabinet proclamation recognizing October 5th to October 9th as Malnutrition Awareness Week in Florida.

“Malnutrition is a growing crisis in our nation, which continues to be exacerbated by economic disparities, food insecurity, and the COVID-19 pandemic,” shared Commissioner Nikki Fried. “I’m proud to proclaim this week as Malnutrition Awareness Week in the state of Florida. It’s crucial that we raise awareness and help educate Floridians on the dangers of malnutrition and its devastating impact on children, adults, and especially the elderly.”

Malnutrition Awareness Week is a national multi-organization campaign aimed at educating consumers on the importance of good nutrition, early detection and treatment of malnutrition, and encouraging Americans to discuss their nutritional status with healthcare professionals.

“Patients with malnutrition are more likely to experience longer hospital stays, higher hospital costs, and higher in-patient deaths,” stated Ainsley Malone, American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) Clinical Specialist and Nutrition Support Dietitian. “Malnutrition is a largely preventable and treatable disease — that’s why ASPEN started Malnutrition Awareness Week in 2012. We are delighted that Commissioner Fried has proclaimed October 5 - 9 as Malnutrition Awareness Week.”

Click here to view Commissioner Fried’s Malnutrition Awareness Week video.

“For all their sacrifices and love shared, we must dedicate a higher level of priority on protecting our seniors, who are more at risk of malnutrition than other age groups,” said Dona Greenwood, Chair of the Florida Malnutrition Work Group. “Nutritional status has been referred to as a vital marker of older adult health — it helps improve health outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and improve overall quality of life. As our population ages, we have a responsibility to protect our seniors and ensure they have access to healthy, nutritious meals.”

Background: Commissioner Fried has been dedicated to addressing hunger and nutritional issues in Florida. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) is the state agency that administers nutritional programs such as the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, Food Recovery Program and Florida’s school lunch program, all of which provide healthy, nutritious meals to children and families across the state.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, FDACS and Commissioner Fried moved swiftly to ensure children had nutritious meals available during sudden school closures, quickly approving over 4,200 feeding locations that served over 72 million meals from March through July, and activating the 2-1-1 phone and text line where Floridians could find free meals for kids. FDACS also helps feed Floridians in need through programs like The Emergency Food Assistance Program, which helps distribute food to low-income seniors. Recently, FDACS launched a $100,000 Walmart Foundation grant project to fight food insecurity in rural communities and supported legislation for a $500,000 grant to enhance food recovery from farms to food banks. 

PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, during National Malnutrition Week, we raise awareness of malnutrition and its negative effects on individuals and health care costs to the state of Florida and the United States of America; and

WHEREAS, experts agree that nutrition status is a direct measure of patient health and that good nutrition can keep people healthy and out of healthcare institutions, thus reducing healthcare costs which can be up to $42 billion annually for hospital stays involving malnutrition; and

WHEREAS, despite the recognized link between nutrition and health, nutrition screening and intervention have not been systematically incorporated across the continuum of care; and

WHEREAS, inadequate or unbalanced nutrition, known as malnutrition, is particularly prevalent in vulnerable populations, such as hospitalized patients, older adults, and minority populations, the very ones who statistically shoulder the highest incidences of the most severe chronic illnesses such as diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, and cardiovascular disease that are also impacted by nutrition; and

WHEREAS, malnutrition is exacerbated by the global COVID-19 health pandemic that has intensified disparities and social isolation and is further compounded by food insecurity; and 

WHEREAS, a collaborative effort among key stakeholders in the public and private sectors continues to be required to increase awareness of, reduce, and prevent malnutrition, and the National Blueprint: Achieving Quality Malnutrition Care for Older Adults, 2020 Update serves as a template for such collaboration; and

WHEREAS, The Osceola Council on Aging and the Florida Malnutrition Work Group recognize that an important step toward identifying and treating malnutrition is raising awareness about it and thus join with The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN), which was the first to establish a national Malnutrition Awareness Week™ in 2012.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Nicole Fried, Commissioner of Agriculture for the State of Florida, do hereby proclaim that October 5 through October 9, 2020, shall be known, designated, and set aside as

MALNUTRITION AWARENESS WEEK

in the State of Florida and encourage specific strategies for addressing and implementing programs and resources to combat malnutrition within our communities.

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