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Obesity Press ConferenceGood morning. I would like to thank my good friend Les Crawford for joining me here today. I would also like to welcome FTC Chairman Timothy Muris. This morning I am pleased to release a report outlining another element of the Department’s strategy for combating the epidemic of obesity that threatens the health of millions of Americans. We will focus on the message that calories count. You all know how committed we are to keeping Americans strong, healthy, and independent. An astounding new study by our Centers of Disease Control and Prevention published this past Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that poor diet and physical inactivity are on the verge of surpassing tobacco as the leading preventable cause of death in America. In the ten years since the first data were released, most of the major preventable causes of death showed declines or little change. But deaths due to poor diet and physical inactivity increased 33 percent - from 300,000 to 400,000. On Tuesday, I unveiled a new national education campaign to encourage Americans to take small steps to fight obesity as well as a new obesity research strategy at NIH. We want Americans to take small steps such as playing outside with your children, snacking on fruits and vegetables, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and being conscious of the amount and types of food you eat. But for many consumers, counting calories can be confusing. You cannot lose weight if you eat more calories than you burn. Calories in must equal calories out. It’s that simple. This new report highlights our overall strategy for getting consumers accurate, helpful information that allows them to make wise food choices at home, at supermarkets, and even in restaurants. It reflects our commitment to reversing this tragic obesity trend in which far too many Americans are literally eating themselves to death. The report includes recommendations to strengthen food labeling, to educate consumers about maintaining a healthy diet and weight, and to encourage restaurants to provide calorie and nutrition information. It also recommends increasing enforcement to ensure food labels accurately portray serving size, revising and reissuing guidance on obesity drugs, and strengthening coordinated scientific research to develop healthier foods and to reduce obesity. But some overweight or obese people need more help with controlling their weight than diet and exercise can provide. They need medical intervention. So we’re revising and reissuing FDA’s 1996 draft Guidance for the Clinical Evaluation of Weight-Control Drugs. We’re also examining how nutrition labels can be revised to emphasize the critical role calories play. An example of this would be including a section that lists the total number of calories in a package in addition to the calories in a suggested serving size. We’re considering authorizing health claims on certain foods that meet FDA’s definition of reduced or low calorie. We’re considering defining such terms as low-carbohydrate, reduced- carbohydrate, or carbohydrate-free. We’re increasing FDA’s focus on enforcing accurate serving size declarations on food labels and advising manufacturers when the agency identifies apparent errors in declared serving sizes. And we’re strengthening the coordination of research into obesity and the development of healthier foods with other HHS agencies, the Department of Agriculture, and other government and free market partners. Steps such as these will help improve the health and well-being of millions of Americans. I would now like to turn the podium over to Les. Les? Last Revised: March 10, 2004 |
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