FAN's Policy Agenda

• Advocate for Policies, Executive Actions, and Other Strategies that Address Food, Nutrition and Activity Related Social and Structural Influencers of Health.  

A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that upstream social and structural factors in the United States contribute to and perpetuate health disparities. Social influencers of health (SIOH) affect well-being directly through physiological stress responses and indirectly by shaping diet, physical activity, and access to health-promoting environments. For example, elements of the built environment—such as shaded areas, cooling infrastructure, sidewalks, and green spaces—play a direct role in supporting active lifestyles and overall well-being. FAN will collaborate with partners at the local, state, and federal levels to advance policies, regulations, and institutional practices that address these upstream factors. 

•  Advocate for Policies, Executive Actions, and Other Strategies that address Health-Related Social Needs (HRSNs).  

A growing body of research highlights the close connections between food access, nutrition, physical activity, and the social and environmental conditions that shape children’s health.  

FAN will champion community-driven, evidence-based, and promising-practice approaches to address people’s immediate health-related social needs related to food, activity and nutrition. This includes advocating for the integration of these strategies into local and state plans and policies, such as the Illinois State Health Improvement Plan, to ensure they are embedded within broader public health priorities. To ensure these strategies are sustainable and scalable, FAN will also advocate for reimbursement and funding models that integrate health-related social needs into healthcare delivery. 

• Advocate for Insurance Reimbursement for HRSNs and advance Food Is Medicine (FIM) initiatives.  

Through Medicaid Section 1115 demonstration authority, states can pilot innovative approaches to expand eligibility, test new service models, and reimburse interventions that address the social and environmental influencers of health. FAN will collaborate with partners to advance waiver strategies that establish sustainable coverage for nutrition services, physical activity programs, and related supports. 

This work includes advocating for reimbursement of services that are often excluded but have demonstrated benefits for children and families—such as breastfeeding support, healthy food purchases, and access to public transportation. As Illinois implements its expanded 2024 Section 1115 Medicaid Demonstration Waiver, the experiences and needs of children and families must inform waiver design and execution. 

FAN will share insights from its Family Food Program to guide and strengthen these efforts, including considerations for extending the waiver beyond 2029. In addition, FAN will advocate for policies and mechanisms that enable local organizations, growers, and producers to participate in and benefit from Medicaid reimbursement opportunities. 

• Support Implementation of Statewide Licensing Requirements for Child Care Centers and Extend Them to Daycare Homes and Group Daycare Homes.  

Changes in requirements in IL Administrative Code Title 89, Part 407 (adopted in July 2025) strengthen licensing standards for childcare centers. The changes aligned meal pattern requirements with USDA guidelines, clarified expectations around physical activity and screen time, and enhanced support for breastfeeding. While these changes represent meaningful progress toward creating healthier environments for children, challenges persist in the implementation of the requirements. Similar changes have yet to be made to Parts 406 and 408, which govern licensed daycare and group daycare homes. FAN will continue to work with partners through the Illinois Alliance to Prevent Opportunities for Health (IAPOH) and with experts in the childcare arena to ensure that these improved standards contribute to the health of all children in all licensed care in Illinois. 

• Support Collaboration between Schools, Park Districts, and Health Agencies in the City and State on Childhood Nutrition and Related Issues.

Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Park District, the Chicago Department of Public Health, and the Illinois Department of Public Health each maintain active strategic plans, wellness and food policies that influence nutrition and physical activity among Chicago’s youth. FAN prioritizes partnerships and policy strategies that reinforce and align with evidence-based practices to promote food access, nutrition and physical activity. 

At the state level, the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Healthy Illinois 2028 plan is a five-year framework addressing major public health concerns, including access to nutritious food and promotion of physical activity. FAN contributes directly to its implementation. Locally, the Chicago Park District’s 2024 strategic plan established health and wellness as a strategic pillar. FAN supports this work by advancing initiatives that increase access to health services within parks and by promoting parks as safe, active spaces for children and youth. 

• Advocate for Dedicated and Sufficient Funding for Nutrition and Nutrition-Related Interventions at the Federal, State, and Local Levels.

The U.S. Congress directs funding to federal agencies through the budget and annual appropriations process. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Departments of Transportation, Education, Agriculture, and others have all used portions of their budget to support programs and strategies that advance nutrition security. Illinois’s and Chicago’s executive and legislative branches make decisions about state and city budgets and agencies may then use their appropriations to advance strategies that advance nutrition security. FAN will work with local and national partners to educate legislators about the local impact of federal resources, advocate for increasing those streams, oppose efforts to reduce or eliminate them, and advocate for increased levels of funding from local budgets that can have a positive impact on children’s health. 

• Advocate for Coordinated Food System Governance and Accountability. 

To make progress on food access and nutrition security, Illinois needs stronger coordination across agencies and sectors. FAN will support existing and new statewide food policy councils or similar bodies that bring together government, health, and community partners. This structure would align priorities and ensure community voices are central in decision-making. 

• Support the Protection and Improvement of Nutrition Standards in Federally Funded Food Programs. 

Protecting strong, science-based nutrition standards is essential to ensuring that federally funded nutrition programs—such as the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)—continue to provide foods that support health. While nutrition standards have improved since 2011, recent federal actions have weakened some provisions, and full implementation remains challenging. 

FAN will continue to collaborate with partners across early childhood, education, and nutrition sectors to protect and strengthen these standards, support full implementation, and expand program participation to reach more children and families. 

• Support Efforts to Strengthen the Local Food System  

Nutrition security depends on a strong local food system that can withstand emergent situations, as well as adequate benefit and reimbursement levels across key federal nutrition programs. Building such a system requires coordinated efforts across agriculture, food retail, and food access sectors. Legislative and regulatory strategies must promote resilience in the local food system, particularly in communities facing higher rates of diet-related chronic disease. 

FAN will support and advance evidence-based and best-practice policy solutions to strengthen local and regional food systems. At the federal level, this includes advocating for strategies with local impact—such as the Farm Bill, Child Nutrition Reauthorization, and WIC Modernization—and protecting sufficient funding for SNAP, WIC, CACFP, and school meals. At the state and local levels, FAN will support efforts to expand healthy food production through urban agriculture and community gardens. 

FAN will also advocate for sustained investments in programs that connect local agriculture to nutrition programs, such as the Illinois Farm to Food Bank Program and the Good Food Purchasing Policy (GFPP). These efforts strengthen institutional food sourcing, support local growers, and advance nutrition and sustainability goals. Finally, FAN will champion innovations in food access and distribution (e.g., regional food hubs, food delivery within assistance programs), promote cross-agency collaboration, and ensure investments expand agricultural capacity, distribution systems, and farm-to-institution connections. 

• Reduce Administrative Barriers and Improve Access to Federal Nutrition Programs 

FAN will support efforts to streamline enrollment, reduce administrative barriers, and broaden participation in SNAP, WIC, and other federal nutrition programs to reach all eligible Illinois residents. Ensuring easy, equitable access to these programs is essential to reducing food insecurity and improving health outcomes.  

• Promote Adequate Access and Benefits in the Federal Nutrition Programs 

Protecting and ensuring that federal nutrition programs (e.g. SNAP, WIC, CACFP) benefits are sufficiently funded and accessible is essential to reducing food insecurity and supporting health. FAN will advocate for aligning minimum benefit or reimbursement levels with the cost of healthy foods and for policies that make it easier for households to purchase fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other nutrition-rich options. FAN will also support efforts to streamline enrollment, reduce administrative barriers, and broaden participation in SNAP, WIC, and other federal nutrition programs to reach all eligible Illinois residents. FAN will oppose efforts that restrict previously eligible populations or limit adjustments to SNAP benefit levels over time. 

• Limit Marketing of Unhealthy Foods to Children.  

Food marketing of unhealthy foods to children adversely influences their eating preferences given that the majority of food marketing to youth promotes food of poor nutritional quality^1,2. Recent research has shown that digital marketing affects youth dietary behaviors in ways similar to traditional marketing including: “increased calorie intake, unhealthy food choices, requests to parents to purchase these products, and a decrease in longer-term diet quality”³ While some corporations have taken voluntary steps to change their practices to limit this effect, evidence suggests that these steps are weak and have not resulted in desired changes in consumption patterns. Utilizing recommendations from Healthy Eating Research (HER)⁴ FAN will work with partners to promote policies to reduce youth’s exposure to food marketing as well reduce the power of this marketing.  

• Advocate for Local, State, and Federal Efforts to Incentivize Consumption of More Nutritious Foods and Water  

Consumers are exposed to a constant stream of nutrition information of varying quality, making it difficult to identify healthy choices. Policies that promote nutritious options and make clear, accessible information available about a product’s nutritional value are essential. For example, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) are the number one contributor of added sugar in U.S. diets⁵. While Cook County and the State of Illinois do not have excise taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, other communities have implemented such taxes with success, generating revenue for health and education. Taxation is one strategy to reduce consumption, but FAN’s priority is supporting programs and policies that encourage and facilitate healthier choices. In addition to exploring evidence-informed pricing and labeling strategies —such as well-designed front-of-package labeling that highlights added sugars, sodium, and phosphorus additives – FAN will champion positive incentive programs, including Link-Up Illinois and other initiatives that increase purchasing power for fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious foods..^6,7,8, 9 Beyond food, FAN will advocate for efforts that promote water consumption and promote water as the primary beverage choice for children (e.g., in childcare and schools settings), helping reduce dependence on SSBs in supportive, non-restrictive ways.  

• Ensure Quality and Sufficient Quantity of Physical Education and Physical Activity in Schools 

According to the CDC, “Physical education and physical activities in schools include physical activity before and after school, physical education, physical activity during school, family and community engagement, and staff involvement…Schools are in a unique position to help students get the daily recommended 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.” Benefits of adequate physical education and activity include: increased levels of physical activity; improvement in grades and test scores; and help with focusing while in class.¹⁰ FAN will support efforts to ensure access to quality physical education and activity in schools. 

• Advocate for State, Regional, and Local Funding Mechanisms that Support Public Transit, Pedestrian and Bicycling Projects, and Active Transportation Planning and Programs.  

Recent years have shown progress in funding for active transportation, but continued advocacy is required to sustain this momentum. Transportation funding still overwhelmingly prioritizes automobile travel over walking, biking, and public transit at all levels of government, and the demand for active transportation projects exceeds available resources¹¹. Lower-income communities, particularly communities of color, are more likely to lack reliable transportation, which can contribute to adverse health outcomes¹². A larger share of transportation funding should be directed toward active travel modes—walking, biking, and public transit—especially in areas where safe and reliable options are limited. Strategies to promote equity in funding include set-asides, weighted scoring of proposals, elimination of local match requirements, and dedicated funds for planning and capacity building. While Illinois eliminated local match requirements in 2021¹³, FAN will continue to advocate for these and other approaches that increase funding for active transportation projects and ensure more equitable distribution of resources. 

• Promote Compliance With, Strengthening of, and Transparency in Complete Streets Policies and Implementation at the State, Regional, County, and Local Levels.  

While most streets in Chicago are city streets that fall under the jurisdiction of the Chicago Department of Transportation, Chicago also contains county and state routes. Chicago, Cook County, and IL have all made complete streets commitments of varying degrees. In some cases, more concrete policies are needed. In all cases, implementation is ongoing, but work remains to achieve full implementation. FAN will support the adoption of these policies and their effective implementation to ensure equitable street access for all users, especially those who use non-motorized transportation. 

• Ensure Active Transportation is Included in Transportation and Relevant Non-Transportation Federal Legislation (i.e. Energy, Health, Labor)  

Active transportation encourages and promotes safety, physical activity, health, recreation, social interaction, and environmental stewardship. While legislation is a main pathway for advancing these priorities, legislation from other sectors could also include language that prioritizes active transportation. FAN will advocate for active transportation principles, consistent with the Department of Transportation’s Strategic Goals¹⁴, to be included in relevant federal legislation.