01/15/03

American Dietetic Association Welcomes Bush Request for Increased WIC Funding

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 15, 2003

Media contact: Lori Ferme, Bridget McManamon

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Bush administration's announcement that it will request record levels of funding for the government's Women, Infants and Children nutrition program is good news for millions of this country's lower-income families, according to the American Dietetic Association.

"ADA has been a strong supporter of WIC and its goal of reaching all nutritionally at-risk, eligible participants with appropriate nutrition services and supplemental food," said ADA president Julie O'Sullivan Maillet.

"There is no question of the success of the WIC program since its inception in 1972 for those with access. However, the need for nutrition assistance among lower-income families in the United States still remains unacceptably high," Maillet said, noting that more than one in ten U.S. children and adolescents -- and almost one-third of black and Latino children -- live in poverty.

"ADA hopes that considerable attention is given to streamlining the application process, program access, food package tailoring and nutrition services," Maillet said, "as well as focusing on the food package itself, nutrition education and the manner in which Farmer's Market's programs are funded," Maillet said. Currently, the budget for the Farmer's Market is linked to the WIC caseload budget.

ADA also welcomes the Bush administration's announcement that its WIC budget request would include increases to support child obesity prevention and breastfeeding programs.

"ADA has identified obesity as the primary nutrition and health issue facing our country. The percentages of overweight and obese children in America is especially discouraging," Maillet said. "ADA is involved in a number of initiatives, in partnership with public- and private-sector organizations as well as our own 'Healthy Weight for Kids' program, designed to seek solutions to the public health hazard of obesity.

ADA also welcomes an increased focus on the advantages of breastfeeding, as the Administration will also request in its WIC budget proposal. "It is the longstanding position of ADA that exclusive breastfeeding for six months and with complementary foods for at least 12 months is the ideal feeding pattern for infants," Maillet said. "Encouraging new mothers to breastfeed for longer periods of time helps newborns benefit from its health, nutritional, immunological, psychological, economical and environmental benefits."

With nearly 70,000 members, the Chicago-based American Dietetic Association is the nation's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. ADA serves the public by promoting optimal nutrition and well-being. Visit ADA at www.eatright.org.

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