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There ought to be a law |
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Governments ultimately exist to guard the public safety. While improving the toxic food environment is a natural part of this role, the idea is new and thus finds resistance, particularly from industries with profits at stake. The responsible leaders working to create a safe food environment need our support. Through research, dissemination and advisement, the Rudd Center is advancing cutting-edge efforts to fight the obesity epidemic. Legislators, staffers and activists from throughout the Northeast gathered at the Rudd Center in January to share their experiences fighting childhood obesity from the policy front. Connecticut state Senate President Pro Tem Don Williams shared the strategies from his hard and ultimately successful battle to ban sodas in Connecticut schools, a battle in which Rudd Center faculty were active partners. Williams personally spoke with every member of the General Assembly to obtain passage. Maine Assemblyman Sean Faircloth spoke about message framing in his work. Faircloth’s bill to require better nutritional labeling, for example, is called the “Freedom of Nutrition Information Act.” The legislative meeting produced exactly what we’d hoped it would: a wish list of measures the Rudd Center could take to support enlightened food policy measures. Legislators want access to research in accessible, concise form. They need listserves and other means to connect with potential allies rapidly. They want more such meetings for sharing ideas and best practices. We will enthusiastically satisfy all these requests. Rudd Center faculty increasingly find themselves in Washington where lawmakers seek us out as a reliable source of information on food policy. That credibility allowed us to play a role in advising Senator Barbara Boxer in the drafting of the Healthy Students Act, which proposes reforms to improve the quality of foods available in schools, increase physical activity during the school day and provide better nutritional education. Meanwhile, Senator Jeff Bingaman’s office contacted Marlene Schwartz for guidance on obesity prevention strategies. She was also asked to serve on two committees by the state Department of Public Health and on the grant review committee of the Connecticut Association of Directors of Public Health. Finally, she delivered a keynote address at conferences for health professionals in New Jersey who want to combat obesity. » Next: Healthier schools |
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©2007 Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Yale University. |
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