Farm Bill Offers Opportunity to Make Food Healthier, Safer and More Accessible

FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 27, 2007

Media contacts:  Jennifer Starkey, Tom Ryan
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CHICAGO – As Congress prepares to debate the 2007 reauthorization of the Farm Bill, the American Dietetic Association, the nation’s largest association of food and nutrition professionals, endorses changes in US food and farm policies to benefit both Americans and people worldwide.

According to ADA, these policy changes will support the development, production and marketing of better food to people here and abroad; address hunger and malnutrition and improve food safety, environmental quality and resource conservation and protection.

ADA will work with experts in agriculture production and markets, economics, the environment, and social and other sciences. ADA’s goals are to strengthen the link between farmers and consumers and guide formulation of new, more balanced policies that help all Americans as well as the food and agricultural base.

“American farmers and ranchers are experts in producing and distributing commodities efficiently and abundantly, but US farm policies are out of date with realities,” said registered dietitian and American Dietetic Association president Judith A. Gilbride.

“A critical misperception at the foundation of US agricultural policy is that abundance translates into a well-nourished population. It simply is not true. Today we are a nation where the majority of us are overfed and undernourished.”

Americans consume too much fat, sugar and salt, Gilbride said, and fall below recommendations in their consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy products lower in fat. Meanwhile, seven of the top 10 causes of death in the United States are linked to diet.

“With more mouths to feed and fewer arable acres available, it is critically important to ensure farmers are not discouraged from producing foods that contribute to human health and which are now frequently deficient in the American diet,” Gilbride said.

“American agriculture needs to be set free from current policy constraints to grow adequate amounts of nutritious foods that are culturally acceptable, basic and affordable and in turn, are marketed to consumers. Producers and consumers alike will benefit from research that results in the development of healthier foods and in consumer-tested approaches that empower people to make healthful choices,” Gilbride said.

“As experts in food, nutrition and health, ADA’s members will give a voice to improve the nutrition of all Americans through new farm bill provisions,” Gilbride said.

Among ADA’s priorities for the 2007 Farm Bill:

ADA will ask Congress to create a National Institute for Food and Agriculture and to authorize and appropriate $1 billion of new funding for food, human nutrition, agriculture and environment research and extension, to complement the US Department of Agriculture’s existing direct research program.

“Federal research provides the bedrock for our knowledge about food, human nutrition, agricultural productivity, the environment and climate,” Gilbride said. “The discovery and application of new knowledge will help us take care of this generation and future generations, protect the environment and the plants and animals that live among us and sow the seeds for our people to live healthier and more prosperous lives.”

ADA believes a shift of approximately 1 percent in total federal expenditures for food and agriculture — or $1 billion of new funding — can help catch up from years of flat and declining USDA research budgets; more adequately invest in finding the answers to raise farm income; and advance the food and agriculture system’s contributions to higher standards of living. ADA will highlight the extraordinary work of the seven Human Nutrition Research Centers that uniquely carry out the USDA’s role as the lead federal agency for human nutrition research.

With a focus on the nutritional status of all Americans, ADA will call for reforms to the process of creating the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This includes making the Dietary Guidelines more valuable and less confusing to consumers by issuing them every 10 years — not every five years, as now required.

“The additional five years should be used to help the public understand and implement the Guidelines in their lives and to follow up with adequate time for conducting evidence-based research to be used in the development of future Guidelines,” Gilbride said.

ADA recommends food assistance should cover and create incentives for purchases consistent with the Dietary Guidelines, so beneficiaries can make dietary choices that will keep them healthier for life. A public investment is needed to make substantial progress on eradicating hunger and food insecurity in the United States.

“Although the environment often works against the consumer’s ability to choose optimally for health and well-being, ADA supports policies preserving choice in a way that raises nutritional standards and outcomes,” Gilbride said. The Food Stamp Program is a key component of the federal food assistance programs and provides crucial support to needy households. ADA supports Food Stamp policies that:

  • Increase the minimum benefit and allotments
  • Provide broader access, simplifying application and reporting
  • Match state administrative reimbursements
  • Provide greater funding for outreach and education
  • Improve the environment for people to purchase food and obtaining fruits and vegetables.

ADA supports better integration of nutrition goals with farm policies and food assistance programs, such as ensuring policies do not undermine food production or marketing systems outside the United States.

“We support continuing emergency humanitarian food assistance overseas in ways that leave recipient nations able to maintain local food production and sales, as well as nutrition initiatives outside the United States that can dramatically advance human health and spur economic growth,” Gilbride said.

With approximately 65,000 members, the American Dietetic Association is the nation’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. ADA serves the public by promoting optimal nutrition, health and well-being. To locate a registered dietitian in your area, visit the American Dietetic Association at www.eatright.org.

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