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Washington, D.C. - This year, Congress will be working on legislation to reauthorize federal farm programs. The farm bill is best known for the fact that it will set forth our nation's agriculture policy for the next five years. But, it does much more than that. It also funds many important nutrition programs, including school-lunches, and Food Stamps.
We've all heard that childhood obesity continues to rise at an alarming rate in the United States. Science tells us that eating more fresh fruits and vegetables is a good first step towards a healthier lifestyle and reducing obesity. Diets rich in fresh fruits and vegetables lower the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, high blood pressure, and other diseases. There is a direct link between healthy eating habits and a reduction in health problems.
While there is a direct link between eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and being healthier, there are many things we do not know about the nutritional choices of those that need our help to feed their families. Faced with a limited food budget, many consumers will choose quantity and value over nutrition. Families on nutritional assistance are no different.
Farm bill reauthorization provides an excellent opportunity for Congress to review this issue. I have organized a working group with members from both sides of aisle to take a closer look at how the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers the Food Stamp program. I recently hosted the Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns, for a roundtable discussion with our group about federal nutrition programs.
Our discussion focused on the Administration's proposed changes to federal nutrition programs. It is clear that the White House sees the correlation between increasing healthy eating and lowering health care costs. USDA is proposing several steps to encourage healthier eating habits in our federal nutrition programs. But, we need to do more.
I was shocked to find out that the federal government has no data telling us what types of food are being purchased with food stamps. The first proposal the working group will make is to study what is being purchased with food stamps. Are more snack foods purchased than fruits and vegetables? How often are fruits and vegetables purchased?
Once we know what is being purchased we can then look at how to foster healthier choices. Are purchases based simply on price with little consideration of nutritional value? Certainly when many snack foods cost less than apples or bananas, the decision is an easy one.
In conjunction with the study, we may also seek to initiate a pilot program through the USDA where states will compete for funds that will allow them to test different ways to increase healthier choices such as fresh fruits and vegetables. Some states might use the extra funding for educational programs to teach recipients the importance of fruits and vegetables and a healthy diet. Others may provide additional funds to recipients who will only be able to use those funds to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables.
The key is to find a way to get those who need our help to make healthy choices for their families. Using funds we are already spending to answer this question could save taxpayers billions in future health care costs down the road.
I look forward to working with my colleagues on these important initiatives. We need to know more about this important issue. As health care costs far more than these nutrition assistance programs, it is important to realize that spending millions of dollars now on healthy eating, we can save billions of dollars in the years to come.
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