DELAURO COMMENDS NEW FOOD MARKETING GUIDELINES

Proposed changes will help to address growing childhood obesity epidemic

Washington, DC— Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3), Ranking Member on the Labor, Education, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement in response to the new guidelines on marketing healthier food to children proposed by the Interagency Working Group on Food Marketed to Children today.

"With one in every three children in our nation overweight or obese, the issue of childhood nutrition is not one we can ignore. These rates have doubled in the last thirty years for children under 11, and the costs are not limited to our health—the medical expenses associated with obesity are staggering. This is an epidemic we must confront, and a fight we must win.

"I am encouraged by the collaborative efforts of the Federal Trade Commission, Centers for Disease Control, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the Food and Drug Administration for their work in developing the principles released today. These guidelines are an important step in addressing childhood obesity. Encouraging children to make healthier choices is critical, and marketing is an important part of their decision-making. I look forward to the continued efforts of the Interagency Working Group and encourage them to maintain the integrity of the proposed principles released today as they work with the food industry to implement the principles."