| So the Institute of Medicine was charged with coming up with the best approach. Industry liked the better-for-you approach because then they don’t have to say anything about their “worse-for-you” foods. But a more effective system might be to say about food products, “This is worse for you” and “This is better for you.” The Institute of Medicine is just starting on this, putting together a study committee. And the Food and Drug Administration is making this a high priority, to do the research and come up with some kind of a national system. It could be either voluntary or mandatory. Hopefully, it would replace all the other systems and symbols that are out there.
School Lunches and Vending Machines
How might school lunch policy be changed in the interest of public health?
When we think about foods in schools, there are two things. One is the cafeterias, which provide federally subsidized meals. The Institute of Medicine just gave advice to the Department of Agriculture on nutrition standards for school meals, and the Department of Agriculture will be developing regulations over the next year or so for improving the meals.
The other thing is the vending machines, school stores and other ways that foods get into kids’ mouths at schools. There, Congress is considering legislation that should pass next year as part of the law that reauthorizes school breakfast and lunch programs. There, we’ve negotiated with manufacturers that have agreed to set nutrition standards, to get soft drinks out of schools and to keep out the foods that are highest in saturated fat and sodium.
We’ll see real progress in schools over the next couple of years. Many cities and states, of course, haven’t waited for the federal government but have implemented standards for school food.
Recent surveys have shown sharp declines in the number of Americans who believe that climate change is caused by human activity. How can this disconnect between science and public opinion be addressed?
I don’t know. People used to say “education.” But we have one of the most educated countries in the world and people still cling to what they wish were true, that global warming doesn’t occur, rather than what is true. I’m not sure what else can be done other than strong leadership from knowledgeable concerned people, like President Obama. I think we just have to work through the messy process of education and legislation. It’s something we have to keep working at.
Daniel Redwood, DC, the interviewer, is an Associate Professor at Cleveland Chiropractic College – Kansas City and Editor-in-Chief of Health Insights Today and The Daily HIT. |
