Principles and Values for Public Policy Work

To positively impact the health status of Americans, the goals of the Legislative and Public Policy Committee (LPPC) are:

1. To apply and abide by the following principles and values approved by ADA's Board of Directors (1), in the deliberation of issues associated with ADA's public policy work. These principles include:
  • Food and nutrition are the foundation of health.
  • Sound science and its applications serve as the basis of ADA’s food, nutrition, and health policy stances.
  • A safe, nutritionally adequate and personally acceptable diet (2) must be available to all individuals.
  • Health promotion goes beyond information campaigns, and includes nutrition education for overall health, medical nutrition therapy for disease prevention and treatment, as well as nutrition research to advance the public’s knowledge, acceptance and application to improve the nation’s nutritional well being.
  • Evidence-based medical nutrition therapy is an integral part of nutrition assessment, disease treatment, management and rehabilitation.
  • ADA's Code of Ethics is the foundation for dietetics practice.
  • ADA’s advocacy serves two primary objectives: to enhance the status and role of the profession and to improve the health of the public.

Objective: ADA's policy positions and its advocacy program will reflect these values:

  • Food and nutrition policy must be based on reliable scientific evidence, which is disseminated to promote public understanding and adoption of healthful behavior change.
  • Improving the health status of Americans requires a spectrum of programs, which must include nutrition services delivered by dietetics professionals to all segments of the population.
  • A global food supply providing a safe and nutritionally adequate diet needs to be available to all individuals in acceptable forms at reasonable cost.
  • Freedom of choice in personal food preferences is the right of consumers.
  • Consumers need nutrition information, knowledge and skills to make informed food choices.
  • Registered dietitians and dietetic technicians registered provide unique and valuable knowledge and expertise in the delivery of food and nutrition services.
  • Food science and technology can maximize safety and deliver nutrition for optimal health and value to consumers.
  • Food and nutrition research, including monitoring and surveillance, consumer testing and policy evaluation, requires adequate, on-going support.
  • Evidence-based guides for practice are developed and utilized to advance dietetics services that benefit the health of the public cost effectively.


(1) Based on the recommendations of the Nutrition Policy Task Force, March 2002.

(2) In referring to “diet,” the LPPC will consider an overall eating pattern.