Step One’s commitment focuses on the country’s 2 million firefighters and law enforcement officers who are at a disproportionately high risk for premature, life-threatening diet-driven disease.

Firefighters are three times more likely to experience a cardiovascular event than those in the general workforce, while law enforcement officers experience their first heart attack nearly 20 years earlier than the general population.

Step One’s commitment, launching later this year, is designed to help first responders measurably improve their cardiovascular health metrics without having to adhere to onerous lifestyle changes that are difficult to sustain because of the nature of their work. First responders interested in participating in the program should leave their contact information below to be included. We will contact you regarding how to enroll and availability of the program in your area.

“First responders take care of us. We need to do a much better job taking care of them.”

Elizabeth Klodas, MD FACC, founder of Step One Foods.

• The Step One program includes facilitated access to Step One’s ready-to-eat nutritionally dense foods while also incorporating a variety of health-related support tools, including educational materials on heart health and first responder risk.

• Reducing first responder heart disease event rates to those of the general population, would not only save first responder lives, but would also result in $20 billion in healthcare and lost productivity savings over 5 years.

• 3 out of 5 Law enforcement officers display at least three of the five major risk factors for coronary artery disease.
• Law enforcement officers experience their first heart attack nearly 20 years earlier than the general population.
• 49 is the average age of a law enforcement officer who has suffered a heart attack. For the general public it is 67.

In March 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the White House Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities. The Challenge was a nationwide call-to-action to stakeholders across all of society to make bold commitments to advance President Biden’s goal to end hunger and reduce diet-related diseases by 2030—all while reducing disparities.

The Challenge built on the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health hosted by President Biden in in September 2022 where the President released a National Strategy, and announced over $8 billion of external commitments to achieve his bold goal.