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July 2006 |
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ENACT Local Policy Database Now Online Prevention Institute, with funding from The California Endowment, is pleased to announce that the Environmental Nutrition and Activity Local Policy Database is available online. Click here to begin searching. The searchable database is designed to provide community advocates, health professionals, policymakers and those working in related fields with concrete examples of local-level policies that have been adopted and/or implemented to improve nutrition and physical activity environments. From joint use agreements to formula restaurant ordinances, we hope to capture what cities, counties, special districts, regional bodies and school districts are doing to make healthy eating and activity a more realistic option. We’d love to hear from you: Have you worked on a local policy to make healthier eating easier for your community, developed a local plan to improve walkability, or established a policy to make sure students get active? Please send us examples of policies to include in this database, so we can learn from each other and create a groundswell of health-oriented policies. For more information, visit us at www.eatbettermovemore.org or contact manal@preventioninstitute.org.
Food Industry Regulation Goes Transatlantic
Strategic Alliance members and colleagues participated in The EU/US Conference, Good practices: Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, convened in Brussels May 11 & 12. The conference, a joint effort of the US Department of Health and Human Services and the European Union, did not go nearly far enough in promoting meaningful dialogue about the need for significant changes in food industry marketing tactics and products. In fact, US Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, stated flatly that policy and regulatory measures employed successfully in tobacco control are not needed to address poor nutrition and sedentary behavior. Concerned US participants were able to rally with like-minded European public health and consumer group representatives to circulate a statement at the closing press conference emphasizing the need for regulation of junk food marketing to children, reformulation of processed food products, and a strong role for government in holding industry accountable.
This conference was part of continuing discussions around proposed policies related to diet and physical activity in the EU. Rather than elevating regulations in place or under consideration in European member countries, the dominant theme of the meeting was food industry self-regulation and public private partnership. Food corporations seemed intent on pre-empting individual country regulatory efforts. This occurred despite ongoing work of the European Public Health Association and Consumers Union to promote a strong role for government as outlined in the Trans Atlantic Consumer Dialogue Resolution on Nutrition, Obesity and Diet-Related Disease.
Standing out from the parade of food industry presentations, were presentations by Prevention Institute, Berkeley Media Studies Group, Consumers Union, and Center for Science in the Public Interest critiquing the progress of self-regulation and promoting promising avenues for changing environments and using regulatory authority to promote the public’s health.
The conference was an object lesson in food industry tactics to evade regulation. Among the participants were Pepsico, Coca-Cola, Nestle’s, Campell’s Soup, National Grocery Manufacturers Association., Unilever, and the World Federation of Advertiser. Industry presentations tended to highlight their educational programs to raise awareness about healthy eating, rather than changes in food products. Despite claims about commitments to health, corporations have changed practices in response to local pressure (e.g. lowering sodium in products sold in the UK or reducing trans fatty acid content to 2% of total fat in Denmark) yet claim it is impossible to implement these changes throughout their operations. In an ironic twist, Nestle’s presented a case study about a farm-to-school program in Southern France, while one conference participant circulated a copy of an excerpt from a Nestle sponsored material provided to schools in Russia that suggests that eating chocolate before an exam is a way to improve test scores.
Industry spokespeople universally praised the EU's efforts to bring various stakeholders together, almost as if having a conversation solves the problem. Their themes included the complexity of obesity, the necessity for personal responsibility, the benefits of education, and the need for a stronger emphasis on physical activity. There were even some disturbing comments that suggested inaccurately that social advertising, not public policy were responsible for reductions in smoking and driving under the influence. But the loudest industry drumbeat was for self-regulation, which was echoed by our own DHHS Deputy Secretary Azar, who favors "the invisible hand of the market over the heavy hand of government."
The conference was frustrating for public health advocates. In step with Secretary Azar, European Health Commissioner Kyprianou also praised the value of voluntary business actions, while keeping the door open for the possibility of regulation in the future. Yet from the food industry perspective it was a solid victory. As Reuters reported, food and drink companies breathed a sigh of relief at the news that their industry was being left to regulate itself.
While a disappointing conclusion, the bright spot was the door opened wider to cooperation between US and European public health minded advocacy groups. We were able to come to quick agreement on the joint statement that was quoted in the EU Observer, Associated Press, and Market Watch. Given the transatlantic operations of many major food corporations, there is great value in working together with EU advocates to push the envelope for ever greater improvements. Our movement is strong and growing locally and overseas. We are building our common links and we have just begun to fight.
New Strategic Alliance Resource for November Election State and local policy signify a vital opportunity to impact nutrition and physical activity environments. With elections approaching in November, candidates’ forum are a key venue to bring issues pertaining to nutrition and activity to the forefront and hold elected officials accountable for instituting policies that improve opportunities for nutrition and activity. The Strategic Alliance has created a guide for nutrition and physical activity advocates that include sample questions for candidates and how to use the questions effectively during a candidates’ forum. View the question guide and our suggested answers or contact Jamila at jamila@preventioninstitute.org with any questions.
After the big win for Physical Education in June, additional bills addressing nutrition and activity continue to move forward. SB 1329 (Alquist) – the Healthy Food Access Act – passed out of the Assembly Agriculture Committee with a unanimous vote. This bill will set up a grant program to stimulate and test healthy food retailing innovations in underserved communities. By providing start-up costs for innovative projects like farmers markets, store rehab, mobile vendors, and new markets, the program seeks increase access to healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, in communities which have poor or limited access to such food. The next stops for the bill are the Assembly Appropriations Committee and then the Assembly Floor. Even with its growing bi-partisan support and strong support from health and business groups, it will be essential for individuals and groups to continue voicing their support for this bill. AB 2384 (Leno) passed out of the Senate Health Committee and will be heard in Senate Appropriations after the break. The goal of the legislation is to increase access to fruits and vegetables in small neighborhood grocery stores and to make fresh produce purchases a smart economic choice for those with very limited food budgets. The bill will be heard in Senate Appropriations after the break Please call your Senator and ask him or her to support AB 2384.
For more information on these bills and others, please visit California Food Policy Advocates (CFPA) and California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA).
Local Governments Continue to Set an Example with Healthy Vending Policies Local entities continue to set model standards by enacting healthy vending machine policies. Both Chula Vista and San Jose have recently enacted local policies addressing healthy options in city vending machines. By providing healthy food options on-site, government employees have better access to healthy food choices during the work day and healthy food options will also become more readily available to community residents who use city facilities.
The South Bay Partnership and the Healthy Eating, Active Communities (HEAC) Initiative in Chula Vista worked with local government to pass a 100% healthy vending policy for all city vending machines. Mayor Steve Padilla commented, “This policy is the right step in the right direction. The impacts are far-reaching and wide. I think that there are plenty of choices available for adults who want to get junk food. They can go somewhere else. But we as a city can set the standards and set the example, and that is what leadership is in my view." Several community spaces will be impacted by the new policy, including 13 recreation centers, gyms and pools, 4 administrative complexes, 3 libraries and an additional 63 parks would be subject to the vending mandate if machines are placed in the future. The City Council also endorsed the formation of the "Healthy Community Task Force", to build upon and sustaining the work of the HEAC initiative by developing a platform for future policy change.
Meanwhile, Healthy Silicon Valley in partnership with San Jose City Councilmember Ken Yeager has continued to build upon the success of its 100% healthy vending for San Jose city libraries, by passing a 50% healthy vending policy for all other city buildings. There are 97 vending machines in 45 public buildings covered by the healthy snacks policy.
To learn more about Chula Vista and San Jose’s vending policies, as well as other innovative policies addressing nutrition and activity, visit Strategic Alliance’s new ENACT Local Policy Database.
Building Healthy Communities Through Food July 15, 2006, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Richmond, CA This full-day community workshop on increasing access to healthy foods and making change in our communities is an opportunity to meet and learn from others who are organizing to bring healthy foods into their communities and build connections with local farms. This workshop will also include discussion on how social and environmental injustice affects healthy food access.
Healthier Food in Healthcare: “Meet the Certifiers” Roundtable July 19, 2006 , 8:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. Berkeley, CA A chance for heath care providers and institutional buyers to meet with representatives from major certifiers such as Fair Trade, CA Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), and Food Alliance to find out more about what their brands mean. Brief presentations by each branding agency will be followed by a longer question-and-answer session where participants can ask detailed questions of the certifiers about their brands. The morning session will conclude with two institutional food service representatives presenting their steps towards working with certified foods.
California Childhood Obesity Conference January 23-26, 2007 Anaheim, CA SAVE THE DATE! Online registration begins in August for the California Childhood Obesity Conference, hosted by the CA Department of Health Services, the CA Department of Education, and the UC Berkeley Center for Weight and Health.
"Captive Kids: Selling Obesity at Schools" Toolkit A new tool kit, “Captive Kids: Selling Obesity at Schools" is now available. The tool kit, developed for school staff and administrators, community advocates and health professionals, addresses the issue of marketing unhealthy foods and beverages on school campuses. For more information and links to the press release and facts sheets, please refer to the Strategic Alliance's page on Captive Kids and to view the toolkit, please visit www.CaliforniaProjectLEAN.org and search for "captive kids."
Samuels & Associates has moved! Samuels & Associates is still located in lovely Preservation Park, but has moved to a bigger house. Their new address is: 1222 Preservation Park Way, Oakland, CA 94612. Their phone number, fax line and email addresses stay the same. Please make these changes in your databases and use this address to send any mailed communication.
Thanks for reading! The Strategic Alliance is currently engaged in building a broad and diverse statewide membership. If you were forwarded this e-mail and want to receive your own copy in the future, please click here or e-mail Sana@preventioninstitute.org. And if you’re already a member, please forward this message to your colleagues so we can continue to strengthen our coalition. Thank you!
WHAT IS THE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE? The Strategic Alliance is reframing the debate on nutrition and physical activity away from a focus on individual choice and lifestyle towards one of environment and corporate and government responsibility. Current Steering Committee members are: California Adolescent Nutrition and Fitness Program (CANFit), California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA), California Food Policy Advocates (CFPA), California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, California Park and Recreation Society (CPRS) , California Project LEAN, California WIC Association (CWA), Child Care Food Program Roundtable, Latino Health Access, Prevention Institute, Samuels & Associates, and YMCA of the East Bay.
The Strategic Alliance is supported by funding from The California Endowment.
The Strategic Alliance is reframing the debate on nutrition and physical activity--from a focus on individual choice and lifestyle, towards one of environment and corporate and government responsibility.
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