National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity

The National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (NANA) advocates policies and programs to promote healthy eating and physical activity, with the aim of reducing the illnesses, disabilities, premature deaths, and costs caused by diet- and inactivity-related diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity.

NANA promotes, within the legislative and executive branches of government, a better understanding of the importance of healthy eating, physical activity, and obesity control to the nation's health and health-care costs. In addition, NANA aims to cultivate champions for nutrition, physical activity, and obesity prevention in Congress and federal agencies. Efforts include supporting effective education and promotion programs, advocating adequate funding for programs, and promoting policy and environmental changes that help Americans eat better and be more physically active.

After a decade of national, state, and local advocacy to improve the nutritional quality of school foods, the NANA coalition led the successful effort to pass the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, a landmark law to improve and reauthorize child nutrition programs. The law (enacted 12/13/10) also includes a provision to get unhealthy foods and beverages out of school vending machines, a la carte lines and other school venues. This historic legislation provides more than 31 million American children with greater access to healthy school food.

NANA has led the effort to strengthen resources for nutrition and physical activity promotion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As a result of our efforts, CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity's funding has increased from $2 million per year in FY 1998 to $45 million per year in FY 2010.

NANA's policy priorities include: