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S.1945 and H.R.8584
Notable &Q,uotable
Editorial
5.1945 and H.R.8584 Nutrition education is a political issue. Sen. George McGovern (DS.D.) has reintroduced his bill for "The National Nutrition Act of 1975" which is now S.1945 (see p. 131). Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) has introduced a companion bill (H.R.8584) in the House of Representatives. While these bills request funding for only the beginning of an educational program, it is a first step to provide programs by which the population can become knowledgeable about their daily food choices. At a time when the world-wide food supply seems critical, a viable nutrition education program becomes crucial. !he number of the Senate bill-S.1945-emphasizes that such legisl~tIon sh0u.ld have been passed 3? years ago when per capita consumptIon of fruIts, vegetables, and dairy products hit a peak. During World War II, nutrition education and victory gardens were part of a concentrated national effort. Then came the growth of technology to develop and promote socially satisfying convenience and novelty foods. The result is a serious decline of the nutritional makeup of the national diet. Some may ask why we need legislation to provide Federal funds for the programs in the schools, They may feel it is only necessary to incorporate nutrition education into other ongoing or proposed programs. In fact, there are presently several ways in which there might be more nutrition exposure in the schools. For example, a greatly strengthened Comprehensive Health Education bill was introduced this year. Nutrition is one of the 11 areas of concentration recommended for inclusion in the bill. The Child Nutrition Act which provides funds for several child feeding programs proposes token appropriations for surveys, training, and nutrition education pilot projects. But nutrition education should be incorporated into a multitude of disciplines and programs within the schools and it must be coordinated. Therefore, a nutrition education bill is vitally needed to provide funds to implement the necessary coordination. . Since nutrition education is a part of many disciplines, it becomes Imperative that nutrition educators who are in home economics dietetics, hea!th and physical education, consumer and family life ed~cation, ~ar~nt mvolv~ments, and child feeding should try to coordinate organIzatIOns relatmg to those special interests. It will take the coordinated : efforts of all interested groups to ensure passage of these bills. '. The abiliy to adequately educate professionals to carry out programs may concern many nutrition educators. There are unknown quantities. Are there enough career and inservice training facilities for teachers? What are the training curriculum needs? What qualifications should be required for a state nutrition coordinator? Let this journal be your sounding board about ways professional training needs could be met. Perha-,?s be~ore any nutrition education legislation can be passed ways must be IdentIfied to show education can make a difference in the wellbeing of the nation's children. Legislators can show their constituencies that more children have received food by counting the meals served in the school feeding programs. How do we count numbers and show improved health or social conditions as a result of nutrition education? There have been many base line surveys which show the need. What about evaluation of the results of nutrition education? All of the above must be convincing in order to cre.ate a priority need to pass the nutrition education bills-S.1945 and H.R. 8584. Your comments and suggestions are needed. Express them to Senator McGovern and R~presentative Miller, authors of the bills, and to your own legislators m the Congress. Send your thoughts for publication in this journal or the SNE COMMUNICATOR, the newsletter of the Society for Nutrit~on Education. Put your thoughts and ideas on paper. Let your legIslators hear you; let us hear from you. S.1945 and H.R.8584 should have been enacted 30 years ago. Let's work to have them passed in 1975. Helen D. Ullrich
94. I JOl!rniil of NUTRITION EDUCATION
Infant Feeding "Recent communications have emphasized a variety of important differences between the composition of human milk and artificial formulas, inchlding electrolytes, calcium and phosphorus levels, fatty acid composition, buffer capacity, and even differences arising from the tendency of parents to alter formulas by addition or dilution . . . One can only welcome the discovery of each additional difference, and can only wonder when the accumulated weight will lead authors to recommend the use of human milk (when it is not contraindicated) instead of merely the modification of artificial formulas to meet the requirements of their own latest finding." James Baggott, Ph.D., Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa., in a letter to the editor, New England J. Med., 292(No.22): 1196, May 29, 1975.
World Food Problems "What will contribute to improving the lot of the world's poor is to undertake those programs and policies that will assist these countries to increase their own food production, and primarily their grain production. In only a limited number of cases does it appear to be necessary to modify diets and even in those the primary emphasis should be upon more calories which can be derived from conventional and relatively low cost sources." D. Gale Johnson, Eliakim Hastings Moore Distinguished Service Professor and Chairman, Department of Economics, University of Chicago, World Food Problems in Perspective, University of North Carolina Occasional Paper, Vol. 1, No.6, May 1975, p.15.
Food Stamps "Given the national worship of steak, is it any wonder that food stamp participants are occasionally among those who go through the check-out line with a steak in their carts? They have been taught by society that steak is close to the zenith of eating pleasure. They may balance this value against the limited range of pleasures available in their family's meager environment. They can't afford a family holiday, but by sacrificing on something else they can add a highlight to a drab existence. . . ." Marjorie Washbon, Professor of Nu" tritional Sciences, Cornell University. in "Buying steak with food stamps?" Human Ecology Forum, 5 (No.4) : 12, Spring 1975. Vol. 7, No.3, Jl!ly.September, 1975
Editorial
5.1945 and H.R.8584 Nutrition education is a political issue. Sen. George McGovern (DS.D.) has reintroduced his bill for "The National Nutrition Act of 1975" which is now S.1945 (see p. 131). Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) has introduced a companion bill (H.R.8584) in the House of Representatives. While these bills request funding for only the beginning of an educational program, it is a first step to provide programs by which the population can become knowledgeable about their daily food choices. At a time when the world-wide food supply seems critical, a viable nutrition education program becomes crucial. !he number of the Senate bill-S.1945-emphasizes that such legisl~tIon sh0u.ld have been passed 3? years ago when per capita consumptIon of fruIts, vegetables, and dairy products hit a peak. During World War II, nutrition education and victory gardens were part of a concentrated national effort. Then came the growth of technology to develop and promote socially satisfying convenience and novelty foods. The result is a serious decline of the nutritional makeup of the national diet. Some may ask why we need legislation to provide Federal funds for the programs in the schools, They may feel it is only necessary to incorporate nutrition education into other ongoing or proposed programs. In fact, there are presently several ways in which there might be more nutrition exposure in the schools. For example, a greatly strengthened Comprehensive Health Education bill was introduced this year. Nutrition is one of the 11 areas of concentration recommended for inclusion in the bill. The Child Nutrition Act which provides funds for several child feeding programs proposes token appropriations for surveys, training, and nutrition education pilot projects. But nutrition education should be incorporated into a multitude of disciplines and programs within the schools and it must be coordinated. Therefore, a nutrition education bill is vitally needed to provide funds to implement the necessary coordination. . Since nutrition education is a part of many disciplines, it becomes Imperative that nutrition educators who are in home economics dietetics, hea!th and physical education, consumer and family life ed~cation, ~ar~nt mvolv~ments, and child feeding should try to coordinate organIzatIOns relatmg to those special interests. It will take the coordinated : efforts of all interested groups to ensure passage of these bills. '. The abiliy to adequately educate professionals to carry out programs may concern many nutrition educators. There are unknown quantities. Are there enough career and inservice training facilities for teachers? What are the training curriculum needs? What qualifications should be required for a state nutrition coordinator? Let this journal be your sounding board about ways professional training needs could be met. Perha-,?s be~ore any nutrition education legislation can be passed ways must be IdentIfied to show education can make a difference in the wellbeing of the nation's children. Legislators can show their constituencies that more children have received food by counting the meals served in the school feeding programs. How do we count numbers and show improved health or social conditions as a result of nutrition education? There have been many base line surveys which show the need. What about evaluation of the results of nutrition education? All of the above must be convincing in order to cre.ate a priority need to pass the nutrition education bills-S.1945 and H.R. 8584. Your comments and suggestions are needed. Express them to Senator McGovern and R~presentative Miller, authors of the bills, and to your own legislators m the Congress. Send your thoughts for publication in this journal or the SNE COMMUNICATOR, the newsletter of the Society for Nutrit~on Education. Put your thoughts and ideas on paper. Let your legIslators hear you; let us hear from you. S.1945 and H.R.8584 should have been enacted 30 years ago. Let's work to have them passed in 1975. Helen D. Ullrich
94. I JOl!rniil of NUTRITION EDUCATION
Infant Feeding "Recent communications have emphasized a variety of important differences between the composition of human milk and artificial formulas, inchlding electrolytes, calcium and phosphorus levels, fatty acid composition, buffer capacity, and even differences arising from the tendency of parents to alter formulas by addition or dilution . . . One can only welcome the discovery of each additional difference, and can only wonder when the accumulated weight will lead authors to recommend the use of human milk (when it is not contraindicated) instead of merely the modification of artificial formulas to meet the requirements of their own latest finding." James Baggott, Ph.D., Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa., in a letter to the editor, New England J. Med., 292(No.22): 1196, May 29, 1975.
World Food Problems "What will contribute to improving the lot of the world's poor is to undertake those programs and policies that will assist these countries to increase their own food production, and primarily their grain production. In only a limited number of cases does it appear to be necessary to modify diets and even in those the primary emphasis should be upon more calories which can be derived from conventional and relatively low cost sources." D. Gale Johnson, Eliakim Hastings Moore Distinguished Service Professor and Chairman, Department of Economics, University of Chicago, World Food Problems in Perspective, University of North Carolina Occasional Paper, Vol. 1, No.6, May 1975, p.15.
Food Stamps "Given the national worship of steak, is it any wonder that food stamp participants are occasionally among those who go through the check-out line with a steak in their carts? They have been taught by society that steak is close to the zenith of eating pleasure. They may balance this value against the limited range of pleasures available in their family's meager environment. They can't afford a family holiday, but by sacrificing on something else they can add a highlight to a drab existence. . . ." Marjorie Washbon, Professor of Nu" tritional Sciences, Cornell University. in "Buying steak with food stamps?" Human Ecology Forum, 5 (No.4) : 12, Spring 1975. Vol. 7, No.3, Jl!ly.September, 1975