Op-Ed: Lots to Lose
by Dan Glickman and Ann
M. Veneman
Those in the ag
community are well aware of the claims in recent years that farm subsidies have
made people fat. While research has concluded that farm subsidies do not cause
obesity, it is true that our nation is facing a public health crisis of
epidemic proportions with two-thirds of the American population either overweight
or obese. Naturally, the food people eat plays a significant role in an individual’s
health, but there are myriad complex and inter-related issues that factor into
the health of our nation.
Clearly, the impacts of
obesity on health and quality of life can be devastating. Obesity-related
chronic disease is on the rise, and life expectancy in many areas of the United
States is already several years lower than that of other advanced countries
around the globe. Additionally, our national security is at risk as more than a
quarter of young adults of military age are ineligible for service due to being
obese or overweight. The economic costs of this crisis -- $147 billion per year
in direct costs, and $300 billion if indirect costs like lost productivity are
included -- are overwhelming. Escalating healthcare costs are now the fastest
growing part of our national budget and the main driver of our national debt.
To combat this
increasing health and obesity crisis, we recently issued a new Bipartisan
Policy Center report outlining proposals for change. The report includes specific
recommendations aimed at supporting healthy families, schools, workplaces and
communities, centered on overarching goals such as: encouraging large public-
and private-sector institutions to purchase and serve healthier foods; increasing
training for our nation’s healthcare professionals and changing insurers’
reimbursement policies to help prevent obesity and related chronic diseases; creating
workforce wellness programs throughout public and private businesses; and improving
health early and often in a child’s first six years of life.
In addition to the four
broad categories named above, a fifth area addresses cross-cutting issues
including public awareness, information sharing, and food and farm policy. In
the Food and Farm Policy section of “Lots to Lose:
How America’s Health and Obesity Crisis Threatens our Economic Future,” we provide specific recommendations
related to: addressing barriers to increasing the affordability and
accessibility of fruits, vegetables and legumes; pursuing opportunities to
promote health and nutrition through USDA food assistance programs; and continuing
sustained support for relevant research by USDA.
With 80% of the USDA
budget going to food assistance programs, we believe that program guidelines should
be reviewed and aligned with US Dietary Guidelines. The Women Infants and
Children (WIC) program underwent such a comprehensive review and revision in
recent years, and it is important that school snacks and other programs undergo
the same scrutiny. Discussion about restricting what may be purchased through
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP (renamed from food
stamps in the 2008 Farm Bill), has been heated. We believe that a comprehensive
study and evaluation must be conducted prior to making any program changes, and
we encourage major retailers to work with USDA to make the needed data
available in order to complete any analysis.
Major strides have been
made in recent years around the country to connect people back to the farms where
their food comes from, though the development of regional food systems and
expansion of farmers markets as well as efforts to increase access to local
foods and fresh produce for all populations. We need to do more of this but
given that less than 11% of the population consumes the recommended servings of
both fruits and vegetables, we also need to get the message out that “More
Matters” – that is, we do need to eat our fruits and vegetables. We recommend
that there should be a national generic promotion program with a special pool
created in the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program to seed this effort.
Our recommendations are
just a few of the many ways we can begin to reverse this national obesity crisis.
We stand eager to work with Congress and the administration, governors,
corporations, the military, health professionals, schools and, importantly,
producers, families and individuals, to implement these and the many good ideas
of others. Our recommendations are not about creating a “nanny state.” They are
intended to make sure people have access to the food and information they need to
live healthier lives. As people continue
to make different choices about what to eat, farmers and ranchers will need to
respond to changing demand. What’s clear
for now is that the status quo, under which obesity and chronic disease and
their associated costs imperil our nation’s health and its economic future, is
simply unsustainable.
To see the complete
report, go to: http://bipartisanpolicy.org/library/lotstolose.
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