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The new health care reform bill requires restaurants to post information about the number of calories on foods on their menus, and to state that "the average person consumes 2,000 calories a day."

Research has shown that if this statement is on the menu along with calorie counts, people tend to eat less.

The new law will apply only to restaurants that have more than 20 locations.

Labels: legislation, calories

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Health care reform is a top priority in Washington, D.C. this year. While the debate over national health care rages on, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is working to keep preventative measures at the forefront.

Senator Gillibrand is authoring legislation that would ban trans-fats in public schools. Any school that receives federal reimbursements would be required to remove food containing trans fats from the school. Schools would have a five year window to implement the policy. -- Source: News Channel 34 (Binghamton, NY)

Senator Gillibrand is also working on legislation that would give the U.S. Department of Agriculture more authority over the types of foods that are served in schools.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity rates have more than doubled in the last thirty years. Senator Gillibrands legislation aims to quickly reverse that trend by making healthy foods more accessible to all school children.

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Several chain restaurants in the United States are supporting new federal laws that will require them to put calorie counts next to items on their menus. The laws will also allow restaurant patrons to ask for information about sugar, salt, cholesterol, and other nutrition information

Several states and cities already have similar laws.

The federal laws would apply only to chain restaurants with 20 or more locations. The National Restaurant Association (which includes a number of chains, including Dunkin Donuts, Red Lobster and Olive Garden), the American Diabetes Association, and the Center for Science in the Public Interest support the new laws.

The new legislation was proposed by U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Tom Harkin, and Tom Carper. "America is facing an obesity epidemic which must be addressed at the national level," Sen. Murkowski said.

Labels: nutrition, legislation, calories, restaurants

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The United States Senate is considering taxing sugary drinks such as sodas, fruit drinks, sweetened teas, and sports and energy beverages.

Advocates estimate that a tax of three cents per 12 ounces would yield $80 billion a year. Some senators believe a tax may also lower consumption of such beverages, reduce health problems, and save medical costs. Many experts have noted an association between sugary drinks and childhood obesity.

Susan K. Neely, the president and CEO of the American Beverage Association, was quick to respond, saying the tax was not a good idea, and a better approach is to reduce soda consumption in schools. Neeley noted that soft drink consumption has declined by almost 10 percent since 2000.

Earlier this year, New York Gov. David Paterson proposed an 18 percent tax on sugared sodas, but the measure did not pass the state legislature.

Labels: causes of childhood obesity, legislation, soft_drinks

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The Massachusetts legislature has unanimously agreed to a new regulation that requires public schools to send children's Body Mass Index (BMI) results home to their parents. Results will be sent home for children in first, fourth, seventh, and 10th grades.

The new rule will replace the current process of weighing children every year. Eighteen other states require a body mass index calculation, but Massachusetts joins a smaller list of states, including Arkansas, that requires schools to notify parents about it.

An eating disorder support association has expressed concern over the new regulation, pointing to the fact that many eating disorders are triggered when a child's weight is measured in school or a child is forced to go on a diet. Still, several health groups support the regulation, which will be phased into Massachusetts schools over the next 18 months.

Source: South Coast Today

Labels: legislation, schools, overweight children, body_mass_index

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Legislation that was passed in 2007 will result in weight and body mass indices (BMI) being collected from students throughout the state of New York. Doctors will test the students when they come in for their student health certificates.

"The information will be reported to schools, creating a set of data that will allow health officials to evaluate obesity levels based on geography... The data will be passed on to the state Department of Health unless parents ask to have the information excluded."

A 2004 survey of New York's third-graders found that more than 20 percent were obese. New York is one of 13 states that tracks the BMI of its students. Source: Associated Press

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An increase in childhood obesity rates and a decline in healthful eating options have prompted a Los Angeles city official to propose a moratorium on new fast food restaurants in the city.

"The proposed ordinance, which takes a page from boutique communities that turn up their noses at franchises, is supported by nutritionists, frustrated residents and community activists who call restrictive zoning an appropriate response..."

Many experts have cited large discrepancies in the types of restaurants available in different parts of town as evidence that such a proposal is needed. Source: The Washington Post

Labels: healthy_eating, legislation, fast_food

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Farmers have begun pressuring New York State lawmakers to set higher nutritional standards for public schools. Higher standards would not only help combat childhood obesity, but could potentially create a lot of business for New York farmers.

"Components of a healthy-schools bill include requiring the state to set nutritional and dietary standards for school meals and snacks, with an emphasis on unsweetened fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other nutritional foods."

The farmers make a strong case for the higher standards by reminding lawmakers that produce and other items shipped from farms in upstate New York will be cost-effective because packing and shipping costs will be reduced. Both the Assembly and Senate passed their own versions of healthy-schools bills, but they couldn't reach a compromise before the session ended. Source: Press Connects

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The Illinois state Senate has passed legislation that would ban the use of trans fats in all schools that participate in the state lunch program.

"As the number of reports of childhood obesity rises, at least eight states have limited the use of trans fats in foods, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. California has an outright ban on trans fats in school meals, and Oregon doesn't let schools sell snacks with trans fats."

Now that the bill has been approved the by the Senate, it moves on to the House, where it's expected to pass as well. From there, the bill would have to be signed into law by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Source: Chicago Tribune.

Labels: legislation, schools, fats

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A bill pending in the Illinois State Senate would ban trans fats in schools if voted into law. Senator Donne Trotter introduced the legislation, citing a school's responsibility for teaching kids the benefits of healthy eating habits.

"Illinois' bill would require the State Board of Education to eliminate cafeteria food cooked with vegetable oils containing trans fats by July 2009. A year later, all foods with added trans fats from cafeterias, vending machines and a la carte items would be outlawed. Food with naturally occurring trans fats - including meat, milk and cheese - would be exempt."

Trans fats are created when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil. While these fats improve food's flavor and increase shelf life, they have also been linked to high cholesterol, obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Source: The Courier News - Chicago

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Minnesota's Public Health Finance Division has voted against a measure that would require "obesity checks" for the state's schoolchildren. The plan would have monitored childhood obesity by collecting body-mass index information during the school year.

"The biggest worry from those who objected: The numbers could shame overweight children and teenagers. 'They know in the third grade that they're fat. They know that,' said Rep. Neil Peterson, R-Bloomington, who said he has female relatives with eating disorders. 'Now you're going to line 'em up in class and do monitoring so you reinforce that.'"

The bill's sponsor argues that the information would not be made public, but would instead be used to determine how and where efforts against childhood obesity are focused. Read more at WCCO.com.

Labels: legislation, schools, shame

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The American medical community has written a bold statement calling for widespread reform in federal food policies. The American Medical Association places much of the blame for our current obesity epidemic on the Federal Farm Bill, which creates large subsidies for things like meat, eggs and dairy products but almost none for fruits and vegetables.

"Federal law currently requires the USDA to purchase commodity foods - meat, dairy products, eggs, and other unhealthy foods - and dump them into school lunch programs. These foods are not selected for nutritional value but are designed to support agricultural businesses by removing surpluses and providing price supports. That's why lunch menus are loaded with cheeseburgers, roast beef with gravy, and sausage-and-cheese pizza, while low-fat and vegetarian options are virtually absent. In the most recent federal survey, about 80 percent of elementary and middle schools violate the USDA's own limits on fat in foods."

The problem also extends to the USDA's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. The WIC program is supposed to provide nutritional support for at-risk populations, but supplies up two 24 quarts of milk a month while supplying less than two pounds of fruits and vegetables.

Labels: nutrition, legislation, schools

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The No Child Left Behind Act currently speaks only to academic education, but some members of the House of Representatives would like to add physical education requirements to the Act's upcoming reauthorization. To that end, they have introduced the Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids (FIT Kids) Act, H.R. 3257.

"The bill would add physical education to the multiple measures for determining accountability under NCLB, offering schools another way to meet their adequate yearly progress while promoting physical activity and nutritional education for students. States would be measured on their progress toward meeting a national goal for required physical education recommended by the Centers for Disease Control of 150 minutes per week in elementary schools and 225 minutes per week for students in middle and high schools."

School districts and states would also be asked to report on students' physical activity and help promote healthy lifestyles. Studies have shown that the most physically active and healthy students often achieve the greatest academic success, which is what prompted the introduction of the FIT Kids Act.

Labels: legislation, schools, physical_education

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Representative Ed Markey, D-Mass, said if food marketers don't restrict ads marketing unhealthy foods to kids he's going to ask the FCC to do it for them. Stating that the Federal Communications Commission has a responsibility to protect children, Rep. Markey has threatened to push the agency into developing a rule that will restrict the kinds of products that can be marketed to children.

"Kids food ads have been attracting more attention in Washington, with TV ads for 'junk foods' cited by critics as one cause of rising childhood obesity, a charge food and advertising groups deny."

Rep. Markey wrote several letters urging food and beverage companies to follow the lead of Kellogg Co. who has promise to re-engineer their less healthy food or stop marketing it to kids.

Read more at TVWeek.com.

Labels: nutrition, legislation, marketing

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With the growing epidemic of childhood obesity, Florida legislators are trying to help the children of their state by requiring elementary students get at least 2 ½ hours a week of physical education physical education. The purposed bill would also require that junior high students get a minimum of 3 hours and 45 minutes of PE a week.

"'Obesity is becoming an epidemic and not only the state of Florida but nationally,' says Rep. Will Weatherford. 'I think this is an opportunity for us to really tackle it at the early stages... and we're talking about elementary school kids.'"

State legislators are working with the American Heart Association to make sure kids of the Sunshine State get the time they need to exercise while at school. Read more online.

Labels: legislation, schools, states

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