New Report by the Foundation for Social Connection Offers Strategies to Advance Connection through Food and Nutrition

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- From neighborhood potlucks to community gardens, food has long served as a powerful way to bring people together – fostering meaningful social connections, building social capital, and deepening understanding and trust across generations and backgrounds.

Yet in the United States, that potential is too often unrealized. Around 1 in 4 Americans eat all of their meals alone, and over 1 in 10 U.S. households face some level of food insecurity – ranging from limited access to healthy options to regularly skipping meals altogether. These realities underscore the pressing need for evidence-based initiatives to reclaim food's power to advance our collective health and well-being.

Today, the Foundation for Social Connection is catalyzing action with its new SOCIAL Framework Report: The Food and Nutrition Sector, showcasing how food systems can be reimagined to build a culture of connection and belonging. The report marks the fifth installment of the Foundation's sector-based report series grounded in the SOCIAL Framework, developed by its Scientific Leadership Council to systemically address social isolation, loneliness, and connection across all sectors of society, at every level of influence, and throughout the lifespan.

"Our SOCIAL Framework is designed to bridge the gap between research and real-world solutions," said Jillian Racoosin Kornmeier, MPH, Executive Director of the Foundation for Social Connection. "By applying this framework to food and nutrition systems, we're offering concrete, evidence-based strategies that communities, practitioners, and policymakers can use to strengthen social connection, reduce isolation and loneliness, and build a healthier, more resilient society."

Informed by a multidisciplinary subcommittee of experts across research and practice, the report explores how environments, programs, and policies – from food production to consumption –  can be intentionally designed to strengthen social bonds across diverse settings and populations.

"This report brings to light something that we witness every day at the Y: the way food has the power to bring people together—across backgrounds, generations, and experiences," said subcommittee member Stacey McDaniel, Director of Strategy & Quality Practices, Anti-Hunger at YMCA of the USA. "Whether it's teens bonding over an afterschool meal, parents learning to prepare healthy dishes with their kids, or new Americans sharing traditions in a community garden, food connects us, empowers us, and helps build more connected communities."

The report outlines 10 actionable strategies that stakeholders – such as health professionals, educators, farmers, business owners, and community organizations – can implement to foster social connection across all levels of influence. Examples include:

• Creating and supporting community kitchens and congregate meal opportunities
• Using meal delivery programs as touchpoints for regular social interaction
• Establishing community gardens and urban farms
• Integrating food festivals and cultural celebrations into community planning

The report also confronts the ways that food insecurity, stigma, and other systemic barriers contribute to social disconnection. By presenting cross-cutting considerations and showcasing real-world examples from diverse settings, it equips stakeholders with both the insights and inspiration needed to adapt and activate strategies that foster connection through food.

"Across cultures and throughout history, the act of sharing food – commensality – has played a central role in building community and promoting both physical and mental health," said subcommittee member Dr. Amy Bentley, Professor of Food Studies at New York University's Steinhardt School. "Now more than ever, we need to revisit the important concepts outlined in this report, which offer a blueprint for reinvigorating commensality in our modern world."

To learn more, download the full report here, and register for the Foundation for Social Connection's upcoming webinar, "Advancing Social Connection through Food & Nutrition," on June 17th here.

For media inquiries or to speak with our experts on social isolation, loneliness, connection, and food systems, please contact Shannon Vyvijal at [email protected].

The Foundation for Social Connection (F4SC) was founded in 2020 with the vision of a vibrant society where social connection is at the heart of how we live. As the leading US organization focused on addressing our crisis of disconnection, our mission is to advance social connection nation-wide rooted in evidence for our collective well-being. Together with our Scientific Leadership Council, Action Network, and partners, we translate research into practice, create long-lasting partnerships and convening opportunities for field builders, and prioritize social connection as a national value powered by lived experiences.

SOURCE Foundation for Social Connection