Whereas malnutrition is the condition that occurs when an individual does not get enough protein, calories, or nutrients; Whereas malnutrition is a significant problem in the United States and around the world, crossing all age, racial, class, gender, and geographic lines; Whereas malnutrition can be driven by social determinants of health, including poverty or economic instability, access to affordable healthcare, and low health literacy; Whereas there are inextricable and cyclical links between poverty and malnutrition; Whereas the Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as when an individual or household does not have regular, reliable access to the foods needed for good health; Whereas communities of color, across all age groups, are disproportionately likely to experience both food insecurity and malnutrition; Whereas Black children are almost 3 times more likely to live in a food-insecure household than White children; Whereas infants, older adults, individuals with chronic diseases, and other vulnerable populations are particularly at risk for malnutrition; Whereas the American Academy of Pediatrics has found that failure to provide key nutrients during early childhood may result in lifelong deficits in brain function; Whereas disease-associated malnutrition affects between 30 and 50 percent of patients admitted to hospitals, and the medical costs of hospitalized patients with malnutrition can be 300 percent more than the medical costs of properly nourished patients; Whereas, according to the report entitled National Blueprint: Achieving Quality Malnutrition Care for Older Adults, 2020 Update of the Malnutrition Quality Collaborative, as many as 1/2 of older adults living in the United States are malnourished or at risk for malnutrition; Whereas, according to recent surveys conducted by the Aging Network— (1) 76 percent of older adults receiving meals at senior centers and other congregate facilities report improved health outcomes