PCRM statement on 2008 Farm Bill

[Guest guest]

http://pcrm.org/news/statement080527.html

 

 

 

 

The 2008 Farm Bill: A

Disappointment

in the Fight Against Childhood Obesity

The 2008

Farm Bill recently enacted into law by Congress is a dramatic disappointment.

The number one cause of death in this country is chronic disease related to the

over-consumption of fat and cholesterol—yet the new Farm Bill continues

to support, in the main, the production of foods high in fat, sugar and

cholesterol.

The Farm

Bill affects American eating habits through the three pillars of nutrition

policy: promoting a particular food environment, education, and incentives for

healthy behavior. Any new programs bolstering the pillars of incentives and

education will continue to be destabilized by the decrepit first pillar, which

is dominated by subsidies for unhealthy foods. Subsidies for unhealthy food

production designated in the 2002 bill—the most wasteful in Farm Bill

history—are being continued under the 2008 bill. Given the higher cost of

fresh fruits and vegetables, and the growing concern about child obesity, it is

a travesty that this Food Bill does not prioritize a healthier food

environment.

Here are

some key aspects of the 2008 Farm Bill:

 

There was one conspicuous victory for healthy

food policy. The 2008 Farm Bill aids the fresh fruit and vegetable market

through an incredible expansion of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snacks

Program. Incidentally, this program also gets fruits and vegetables to

kids. Funding is more than $1 billion for 10 years. The program will

include schools in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Previous funding was for only 14 states, with a budget of $9 million per

year.

 

 

Food production policy continues to remain

“fat and sugar” production policy. About 1 percent of

Farm Bill payments go to fruit and vegetable growers. Most disturbing is the fact that 80 percent or more

of the commodity payments benefit producers of meat, cheese, and junk food.

Therefore, a reduction of overall subsidies is generally positive. The new

Farm Bill decreases aggregate outlays for specific commodities in part by

lowering the income limit for a farmer to be eligible for payments. The

income limit was lowered from $2.5 million to $750,000. While a step in

the right direction, this is far from the target income limit of $200,000

sought by the President and reform-minded Members of Congress.

 

 

Congress eased planting restrictions on

subsidized land until 2012 for selected fruits and vegetables destined for

canning, and for only a small percentage of farm land in a handful of

states. For the vast majority of agricultural land, this Farm Bill

maintains that fruits and vegetables ‘must be destroyed prior to

harvest’ or the land permanently loses eligibility for federal

support. This provision illustrates well that Congress has yet to

associate food production policy with Americans’ health.

 

 

Funding for the Department of Defense Fresh Fruit

and Vegetable Program was maintained at a paltry $50 million per year.

This is the only federal program that actively integrates fresh fruits and

vegetables into school meals.

 

 

Funds authorized for USDA to purchase fruits and

vegetables (mostly processed) and other high-fiber plant foods were

reduced. Since 2002, the budget for these foods has been $200 million per

year. It is now $190 million, with slight annual increases. With inflation

the budget will remain below the 2002 level when the next Farm Bill comes

up in 2012.

 

Congress

abstained on a perfect opportunity to fight the most serious public health

problems of this country: childhood obesity and skyrocketing rates of heart

disease, cancer, and diabetes. Precisely because of poor diet, today’s

youth will live fewer years than their parents for the first time in history.

With its override of the President’s veto, Congress has passed a

Farm Bill that will provide food production subsidies that continue to focus on

inputs for fatty, sugary, and processed foods. The price tag for this Farm Bill

will average $60 billion per year. America spends $1 trillion

each year on health care related to chronic disease. Half a decade is too long

to wait. We urge Congress to make the best of every chance to promote a

healthier food environment. Congress will have another chance to support good

nutrition when the Child Nutrition Act comes up in 2009.

Note: For an interview about the Farm Bill

with a PCRM expert, please contact Patrick Sullivan at 510-834-8680 or psullivan.

Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible

Medicine (PCRM) is a nonprofit organization that promotes preventive medicine,

conducts clinical research, and encourages higher standards for ethics and

effectiveness in research.

 

 

Kyle Ash, MA, LLM

Government Affairs Manager

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

5100 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Suite 400

Washington, DC 20016

(202) 686-2210, ext. 370 (phone)

(202) 686-2155 (fax)

kash

www.pcrm.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

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