ABA Against Proposal on Children's Ad Restrictions
ABA led grain chain members in a strong statement opposing a proposal - put forward jointly by representatives for FTC, USDA, FDA and CDC - on voluntary children's food marketing restrictions. The grain chain coalition statement focused on the statutory requirement that all nutrition related policy should be based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans; the marketing proposal is not based on the guidelines.
The Oct. 12 hearing was held by the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade as well as the Subcommittee on Health, of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
MyPlate Icon Replaces Food Pyramid
The American Bakers Association commends USDA, HHS, and First Lady Michelle Obama for developing the new healthy eating icon based on the sound science of the new dietary guidelines.
DIETARY GUIDELINES 2010 & FOOD GUIDE PYRAMID - March 2011
Baking Industry Impact:
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommendations preserve grains as part of the foundation of a healthy lifestyle stating that the average American should eat six servings of grain foods daily, making half of those whole grains.
ABA Position and Status:
The new edition of the Guidelines was released on January 31, 2011 and mirrors the recommendations of the 2005 edition. The Guidelines’ recommendations encompass two overarching concepts: (1) maintaining calorie balance over time to achieve and sustain a healthy weight, and (2) focusing on consuming nutrient-dense foods and beverages. Nutrient-dense foods and beverages provide vitamins, minerals and other substances that may have positive health effects with relatively few calories. The Guidelines include 23 key recommendations for all Americans, and six additional recommendations for specific population groups. There was new report language that encouraged a shift from refined grains to whole grains but also recognized enriched grains as a good source of folic acid in the diet.
ABA spearheaded efforts for a full contingent of 10 grain chain partners, submitting grain focused comments in July 2010 to USDA regarding the findings of the DGAC final report. Additionally, ABA presented oral comments on behalf of the industry at a public meeting held in Washington, DC, on July 8, 2010. To encourage comment opportunities, ABA developed and posted to its grassroots website a “template” letter for members to use in sending their own comments to USDA.
Both the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) and the HHS Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) plan to develop simple actionable messages, tools and information as part of nutrition education and communication efforts. In addition, CNPP will conduct marketing activities to promote the overarching Dietary Guidelines concepts and recommendations through use of an interactive, new generation food guide pyramid. The updated pyramid may be released during National Nutrition Education Month in March 2011.
Background:
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide the foundation for federal nutrition policy. They are jointly issued and updated every five years by the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. They provide the federal government’s advice for people two years and older about good dietary habits, and they play an important role in guiding federal nutrition policy at all levels as all federally-issued dietary guidance for the general public is required by law to be consistent with the Dietary Guidelines.
ABA to Testify on Importance of Grains
ABA will provide oral testimony to the USDA Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on July 8.
ABA will take the opportunity to educate the public on the health benefits of both whole and enriched grains as the base of a healthy diet. Specifically, ABA will discuss the history of enrichment; fortification health benefits related to folic acid and iron; the role of whole grains as a part of an overall healthy diet; and highlights of continual innovations by bakers to produce appealing healthful products.
On June 15, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) released its long-anticipated report on its recommendations for the 2010 Dietary Guidelines. The Dietary Guidelines provide the federal government’s advice for persons two years and older regarding good dietary habits, and they play an important role in guiding federal nutrition policy at all levels. The driving concern behind the 2010 DGAC’s recommendations is the current obesity epidemic. Given the present regulatory environment and the Obama Administration’s prominent attention to the problem of obesity, particularly childhood obesity, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines are expected to have an impact on the regulation of food labeling and advertising. Additionally, the Dietary Guidelines will likely encourage efforts already underway by state and local governments and nongovernmental organizations to urge food manufacturers to consider reformulating their food products or to develop more healthful products.
The DGAC report is summarized in this memorandum prepared by ABA’s FDA counsel Covington & Burling.
ABA continued to analyze the new recommendations in preparation to additional comments to USDA/HHS. ABA will also participate in the July 8 public meeting. Should you have questions, or need further information, please contact Lee Sanders, ABA Senior Vice President, Government Relations and Public Affairs at 202-789-0300 or at lsanders@americanbakers.org.
The American Bakers Association, along with grain chain partners American Institute of Baking, Grain Foods Foundation, Grains for Health Foundation, Independent Bakers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Pasta Association, North American Millers’ Association, USA Rice Federation and Wheat Foods Council recently submitted unified industry comments to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC). The CGAC will meet May 13 to finalize its draft report and recommendations for the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans to be released this fall.
ABA’s comments urge the committee to maintain the current recommendations of 6-10 grain food servings daily with half being whole grain and half enriched grain products. The comments also address nutrient adequacy, use of the term “enriched” rather than “refined,” sodium reduction and the importance of folate enriched products in combating neural tube defects. ABA stressed that it is critically important to maintain the number of grain servings as the foundation of a healthy lifestyle.
ABA Urges Sound Science, Transparency in Dietary Guidelines Process
ABA, along with 10 other organizations, is urging continued reliance on sound science, along with greater transparency as the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) moves forward with preparation of a report updating the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) to be published later this year.
In an April 16 letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and U.S. Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, ABA stressed that the Dietary Guidelines must be easily understood and implemented, as well as based on a preponderance of sound scientific evidence in order to have a “meaningful” impact on public health. ABA also emphasized the importance of energy balance on issues related to obesity and weight control, recognizing that physical activity is as important as dietary intake.
“Science supports focusing on the total diet, physical activity, and the essential role that energy balance plays in achieving and maintaining overall health,” according to ABA, adding that no individual food or beverage should be singled out as “good” or “bad.”
While acknowledging the early public forums and subsequent Webinars conducted by the DGAC as part of the Dietary Guidelines review, ABA noted that timely public release of the scientific questions and evidence reviews, as was done prior to the 2005 DGA publication, would have provided the public “greater transparency and opportunity to fully engage throughout the process.” ABA feels “strongly” that as much information as is allowed under Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) rules should be open and available for public review and input during the DGAC process with electronic access wherever possible.
Other industry groups signing the letter were: American Beverage Association, American Frozen Food Institute, American Sugar Alliance, International Dairy Foods Association, Juice Products Association, National Confectioners Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Pasta Association, Snack Food Association, and The Sugar Association.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide the foundation for federal nutrition policy. They are jointly issued and updated every five years by the Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS). Currently, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) is meeting to make recommendations for the next set of guidelines which will be published in 2010.
This is very important to the baking industry because the DGAC will make recommendations for daily consumption of foods or ingredients that are critical components of baked goods including carbohydrates, enriched and whole grains, folic acid, sodium and added sugars.
ABA is communicating to the DGAC the importance of including both enriched and whole grains in consumers’ daily diets. While recognizing the health benefits of whole grains, we are emphasizing the importance of folic acid contained in enriched grains and its critical role in preventing neural tube defects. ABA is also carefully monitoring DGAC discussion of sodium and added sugars to ensure positive treatment of bread.
To date, the DGAC has held two meetings: one in October 2008 and one in January 2009. Two additional meetings are planned for 2009, with the Committee’s final recommendations to be published in fall 2010.
ABA is partnering with the Grain Foods Foundation (GFF), as well as working with North American Millers’ Association (NAMA), March of Dimes (MOD), and the National Council on Folic Acid (NCFA). ABA’s strategic goals for the 2010 Dietary Guidelines include:
- Ensure continued positive positioning of bread, both enriched and whole grain, in USDA/HHS 2010 Dietary Guidelines.
- Ensure continued positive messaging regarding carbohydrates in 2010 Dietary Guidelines.
- Communicate positive health messages and encourage increased consumption of whole grain and enriched products to enhance overall diets and health for all Americans.
Click here for the USDA/HHS 2010 Dietary Guidelines Timetable
MyPyramid.com
ABA was very active in coordinating and developing industry wide comments during the year long review process of the USDA/HHS U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the new Food Guidance System. ABA played a pivotal role in positioning enriched grains vis-à-vis their nutritional value and folic acid, additionally ABA worked to address the issue of obesity and how the industry will consider several proactive programs for consumers. Positioning of enriched and whole grains as the healthy base for the daily American diet was reinforced during the process thanks to the proactive role of ABA.
Additionally, ABA was active on Capitol Hill during the Guideline review process visiting a number of Senators and Representatives from key wheat-growing states to educate them on the issue and voice the baking industry's concerns as to how enriched bread and grain-based foods were being portrayed throughout the review process. An additional meeting organized by ABA with key USDA staff was held jointly with The Grain Foods Foundation, The North American Millers Association, and The Wheat Foods Council to emphasize concerns over the treatment of enriched grains and to stress how carefully the three groups had reviewed the scientific documentation that emphasized health benefits of enriched grains in the diet.
MyPyramid For Children - USDA