Improving America's Diet and Health From Recommendations to Action (1991) / Chapter Skim
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5 Public Sector: Strategies and Actions for Implementation
5 Public Sector: Strategies and Actions for Implementation
Pages 112-139
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From page 112... ...
Therefore, governments at all levels have special obligations to implement dietary recommendations both by example and by the unique actions that they can take. Governments at all levels can promote implementation directly through legislation and rule-making; provision of information and education; awarding of research and demonstration grants; intramural research, education, and extension programs; food assistance and farm programs; their own vast meal service functions; and through acting as role models by providing examples of implementation in government facilities, by government officials, and at governmentfunded events.
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From page 113... ...
issued suggestions to state school food service directors on ways to implement the Dietary Guidelines in their school lunch programs (see, for example, USDA, 1983~. In addition, studies on human nutrition related to the Dietary Guidelines report have been undertaken by USDA (1987)
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From page 114... ...
PRINCIPLES THAT SERVE AS ~ BASIS FOR IMPLEMENTATION It is desirable that initiatives to implement dietary recommendations in the public sector adhere to a set of principles. These principles, described below, were developed by the committee to help public institutions make nutritionally desirable food choices available, identifiable, and acceptable.
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From page 115... ...
When alternatives cannot be made available, the set menu should be one that helps people meet dietary recommendations. Present Healthful Eating in a Context of Total Health Promotion Dietary changes are adjuncts to, not substitutes for, a comprehensive system of health promotion, disease prevention, disease treatment, nutrition support, and social welfare measures, including economic and food assistance.
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From page 116... ...
Ensure Palatability of Healthful Diets Food plans designed to meet dietary recommendations must be made appealing to consumers in order to be accepted. The committee recognizes that the population's taste preferences may gradually shift with increasing exposure to meals that help it to meet dietary recommendations, but menu revisions must consider people's present food preferences.
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From page 117... ...
. In addition, governmentwide interagency committees were formed to coordinate activities related to nutrition monitoring and human nutrition research.
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It consists of representatives of USDA, DHHS, AID, DOD, DVA, Bureau of the Census, and the Department of Labor. Because most nutrition-related activities of the federal government take place in USDA and DHHS, both departments have established administrative structures to ensure that food and nutrition information emanating from their various agencies are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines report (U.S.
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From page 119... ...
Congress are becoming more cognizant of the key role that dietary patterns play in the general well-being of the public. Bills introduced in Congress pertaining to food and nutrition cover a broad range of activities and include legislation to reauthorize food assistance programs and legislation related to food labeling,
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From page 120... ...
; (3) continuing certain food assistance programs to lowincome people (e.g., food stamps and commodity distribution programs)
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From page 121... ...
about dietary recommendations and how to improve their eating habits with the help of the foods supplied by various assistance programs. ACTION 1: Revise current USDA regulations governing the child and family nutrition programs to comply with dietary recommendations and train federal, regional, state, and local personnel administering the programs to implement the recommendations.
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From page 122... ...
Managers and cooks in all child and family food assistance programs should be trained in all critical aspects of food preparation and services. At a minimum, they should be taught menu planning, food purchasing, food preparation, and service techniques that support dietary recommendations.
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. Elderly people who consume diets that meet dietary recommendations will reduce their risks of developing many degenerative chronic diseases, especially if they have eaten well in the past and engage in other health-promo/in behaviors.
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The committee urges those segments of the private sector involved in providing food for food assistance and other government programs to take an offensive rather than a defensive stand in implementing dietary recommendations. Producers and distributors must more actively consider these recommendations in developing new and modified foods for the elderly and for those who are part of other food assistance programs.
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From page 125... ...
ACTION 4: Ensure that the education and information components of the foregoing federal food assistance and nutrition programs are consistent with dietary recommendations. Each of the previously mentioned food assistance and nutrition programs does or should have a nutrition education component.
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From page 126... ...
To stabilize the prices that farmers and ranchers receive for many of the foods they produce, the federal government purchases the surplus production and distributes such commodities at no or low cost to several food assistance programs. About 30% of the value of all foods purchased for school meals comes from surplus food commodities donated to schools by USDA or purchased by them at reduced prices (USDA, 1989b)
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From page 127... ...
Health-care professionals in communities could advise local food-service directors about foods to purchase that would nutritionally complement the commodities received, enabling the preparation of menus that help people to meet dietary recommendations. Dietary recommendations should be a consideration in specifying and awarding processing contracts between the agencies distributing or receiving donated and surplus foods and processors, who convert the donated foods into finished items such as pastas and bread.
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From page 128... ...
system of food labeling and many recommendations to improve it. This committee urges implementation of the recommendations in that report as well as continued study of ways in which food labels can be used to improve dietary patterns.
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FDA has sought comments on possible approaches to addressing problems with current food standards and will address this area under its current food labeling initiatives (Food Chemical News, 1990~.
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From page 130... ...
STRATEGY 4: Enable government feeding facilities to serve as models to private food services and help people meet dietary recommendations. In their roles as major food-service providers, governments (especially the federal government)
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From page 131... ...
One way to avoid even the appearance of taking advantage of the less fortunate is to start implementation programs among independent groups rather than the indigent and dependent. For example, employee dining rooms in government facilities should be tackled before attempts to implement dietary recommendations are made with the hospitalized or the poor.
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From page 132... ...
The present clinical nutrition and dietetic personnel should be retained in the DVA system to provide the technical assistance needed to implement dietary recommendations. Federal agencies, such as NIH through its National Cancer Institute or National Institute on Aging, should collaborate with the DVA medical system to develop grant mechanisms to establish demonstration projects for implementing dietary recommendations and other activities directed toward achieving the national health promotion and disease prevention objectives of DHHS by the year 2000 (DHHS, 1990a)
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From page 133... ...
They were last revised in 1985 and will be reviewed again now that the 3rd edition of the federal government's Dietary Guidelines for Americans report (USDA/DHHS, 1990) has been released.
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From page 134... ...
These menus should also help prisoners to meet dietary recommendations. Groups including registered dietitians, nutrition educators, health educators, correctional officials, and inmates should convene to discuss and take action on designing acceptable prison diets that meet dietary recommendations.
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From page 135... ...
Technical assistance to food producers and preparers should be provided or built into GSA contracts so that these people will be able to provide appealing products and menus that help employees and other consumers meet dietary recommendations. Voluntary, shortterm technical assistance will not be sufficient.
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From page 136... ...
ACTION 2: Improve the National Nutrition Monitoring System and provide it with adequate resources. The National Nutrition Monitoring System consists of a diverse set of surveys and surveillance activities conducted by 12 agencies within six federal departments DHHS, USDA, DVA, DOD, Commerce, and Labor (DHHS/USDA, 1986, 1989~.
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From page 137... ...
1989. Food Assistance Programs: Nutritional Adequacy of Primary Food Programs on Four Indian Reservations.
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From page 138... ...
A Progress Report on Reducing Fat in the School Lunch Program. Public Voice for Food and Health Policy, Washington, D.C.
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From page 139... ...
1986d. USDA Comprehensive Plan for a National Food and Human Nutrition Research and Education Program: A Report to Congress.
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