The ecological systems perspective is presented as an ideal model for nutrition policy formulation as well as nutrition program design and evaluation. Current nutrition policy statements in the United States are complex and unwieldy for program implementation. Action statements such as the “Dietary Goals for the U.S.” will probably not be successful because they are not based on a solid theoretical framework nor are they linked to any national policy goals which would facilitate their accomplishment.Current nutrition program stategies may be categorized into: those programs focusing on environmental alteration or those focused at the level of the individual consumer, such as nutrition education. Each type of program strategy is unlikely to achieve ultimate success because the focus is one system or the other. By adopting an ecological systems perspective as a basic theoretical framework for nutrition policy and programs, more consistent success for improving the nutritional status of the American people might be expected.