Counting Calories
Report of the Working Group on Obesity

Appendix C
Notice Concerning July 30, 2003 Secretary's Roundtable on Obesity/Nutrition

Table of Contents

July 30, 2003

Department of Health and Human Services
Secretary's Roundtable on Obesity/Nutrition
Wednesday, July 30, 2003
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Washington, D.C.

Public Docket 2003N-0338

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has established a public docket 2003N-0338 to receive additional information, perspectives, and suggestions from participants who attended the Secretary's Roundtable on Obesity/Nutrition on July 30, 2003.

Obesity is a growing and urgent public health problem in the United States. To address this problem, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson has led the Department in its efforts to encourage healthy habits such as healthy diets, more exercise, and making healthy choices. Secretary Thompson continues to challenge HHS agencies and the leadership of the public health community to intensify their efforts to realize these improvements. The Secretary's Roundtable on Obesity/Nutrition is intended to enhance an HHS discussion with leading thinkers and experts in the public health community on the role that HHS can play in reducing or reversing the weight gain that leads to obesity. The Roundtable agenda included the following five focus questions:

1. What is the available evidence on the effectiveness of various education campaigns to reduce obesity?

2. What are the top priorities for nutrition research to reduce obesity in children?

3. What is the available evidence supporting whether public efforts should prioritize behavioral interventions to prevent obesity versus medical interventions to treat obesity?

4. What changes to food labeling could result in the development of healthier, lower calorie foods and the selection of healthier, lower calorie foods by consumers? What opportunities exist for the development of healthier foods/diets and what research might best support the development of healthier foods?

5. Based on the scientific foundation available today, what is the one thing that HHS could do that would make a significant difference in efforts to address the problem of obesity?

The Department has opened public docket 2003N-0338 to receive additional information, references, or thoughts from Roundtable participants in follow up to the July 30 discussion. We would appreciate receiving all follow up information and views by Tuesday, September 30, 2003. You should submit written comments to the Dockets Management Branch (FDA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. You may also submit comments electronically to http://www.fda.gov/dockets/ecomments or by email to We request that you submit two copies of any written comments; individuals may submit one copy. Please ensure that you include the docket number 2003N-0338 in your submission. All comments submitted to the public docket are public information and may be posted to the FDA website (http://www.fda.gov) for public viewing.