change 2 Flashcards
who can be change agents?
- Global: International Obesity Taskforce, FAO, World Health Organization
- Federal: FDA, USDA, Institute of Medicine
- State: Attorney General, Governor
- Local: School districts, Community food policy councils
challenged for local action?
Challenges for Local Action
• Precarious funding
• Understaffed and must rely on volunteers
• Tend not to connect with science
• Rarely evaluated (world must guess at impact, difficult to tell what works, limited spread)
local change becoming national: menu labeling
• U.S. restaurant industry sales are increasing
• Rationale
o American diet in trouble
o People eat at restaurants a lot
o People eat worse when they eat out
o People don’t know what’s in their phone
o Consumers want to know
what are the two frames in which menu labeling is advocated?
health
the right to know
what is the health argument in regards to menu labeling?
• Industry Argument 1: Consumers don’t want the information
o Large majority of polls show people support labeling
• Industry Argument 2: Restaurants provide the info anyway
o Very few people access the info (not readily available)
• Industry Argument 3: Drive Thrus Should be Exempt
• Industry Argument 4: The Information Will Make No Difference
o Study in New Haven – Participants get 1 of 3 menu conditions: No labels, calories, or calories + 2000 cal/day anchor
o Measured total calories ordered and consumed, and consumed post-study
o Those with calorie labels ate less, but ate more afterwards to “treat” themselves
o Only with the anchor statement did people eat less overall
• Legal Intervention – some has been going on
what is the right to know argument in regards to menu labeling?
The Right to Know
• National Menu Labeling Law
o Included in health care bill 2010 w/ 2K calorie anchor statement
o NRA: this will replace the growing patchwork of state and local regulations
• This is just the NRA either trying to pre-empt harsh federal laws or finally giving up on the whole issue
• Smart Choices Case Study
o “Smart Choice” label went on things like mayonnaise and fruit loops
o Products didn’t meet criteria
o Start of a blitz to change the program – after article, program gone
• Federal example: Front-of-pack Labeling
o An initial free-for-all: people could label what they wanted
• Nutrition Highlights, Nutrition-At-A-Glance, Goodness Corner, Smart Choices
• 2009 Congress directs CDC, IOM to begin study of FOP systems
o January: federal standard released
• Needs to include cals, fat, sodium and sugars
• Also can add two additional nutrients to brag
what can we do?
o Bad press to reveal industry’s intentions
o Legislative Action
o Legal Action
o Attorney General Investigation
o FDA Warning: labels confuse and mislead consumers
