Leaders at the American Heart Association (AHA) recently released a statement about the House Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.
This bill, for fiscal year 2017, address the nutrition policies within the U.S. health industry.
“The American Heart Association is concerned with language included in this House agriculture appropriations bill that would weaken efforts to help both kids and adults build healthier lives free of cardiovascular disease and stroke,” AHA CEO Nancy Brown said. “Specifically, we are disappointed that the bill contains a number of nutrition policy riders, including a rider that attacks the school nutrition standards and another that targets menu labelling.”
The bill’s policy riders include delaying the Tier 2 sodium standard reduction in school meals, delaying menu labeling compliance for another year and enabling schools with a waiver for individual whole grains products.
“We believe the science that supports all of the nutrition standards is sound and, consequently, the rider on school meals is completely unwarranted,” Brown said. “Hampering these standards at this stage will only cancel the celebrated progress our nation’s schools have made over the last several years, and more importantly, put students’ health in jeopardy. In particular, the work already being done to reduce children’s daily salt intake has made important advances. The association urges Congress to not lose sight of what’s really important when it comes to these standards -- putting nutritious foods with less sugar, salt and fat on students’ plates.”
