"Why would this administration, or any administration, invoke the moral authority of the United States of America on behalf of the junk food and the obesity lobby?" said Gary Ruskin, executive director of Consumer Alert, an advocacy group affiliated with Ralph Nader (news - web sites). Good question.
Bush Challenges U.N. Report on Obesity
Fri Jan 16, 5:49 PM ET Add White House - AP Cabinet & State to My Yahoo!
By JONATHAN D. SALANT, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is challenging a World Health Organization (news - web sites) report that outlines steps for nations to take to reduce obesity.
Administration officials questioned the science behind some of the recommendations, such as limiting food advertising aimed at children and limiting fats, salt and sugary sodas. But consumer groups on Friday accused President Bush (news - web sites) of kowtowing to the food industry, some of whose executives are among his biggest fund raisers.
The International Obesity Task Force estimates that 300 million people worldwide are obese and 750 million more are overweight, including 22 million children under age 5. The obesity problem has expanded like people's waistlines from the industrial nations to developing countries.
Objections to the 160-page report were laid out in a letter sent this month to the United Nations (news - web sites) agency by William Steiger, a special assistant for international affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (news - web sites).
He said that the WHO report did not adequately address an individual's responsibility to balance one's diet with one's physical activities, and objected to singling out specific types of foods, such as those high in fat and sugar.
"The (U.S. government) favors dietary guidance that focuses on the total diet, promotes the view that all foods can be part of a healthy and balanced diet, and supports personal responsibility to choose a diet conducive to individual energy balance, weight control and health," Steiger wrote.
Dr. William Dietz, director of the division of nutrition and physical ability at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites), said many of the report's recommendations were not backed by hard evidence.
For example, the rise in obesity mirrored an increase in lowfat products being sold in stores, Dietz said.
"Consumers thought that if all they had to do was reduce fat, they could eat anything they wanted," Dietz said. "We know that fat reduction alone is not sufficient. Calories are calories, whether they come from fat or carbohydrates."
Consumer advocates have criticized the administration's stance, saying it makes a mockery of HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson's anti-obesity efforts.
"We doubt the secretary's commitment to fighting obesity on any serious level," said Bruce Silverglade, legal affairs director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "Government is part of the problem and government needs to be part of the solution."
Concerns about the WHO report have been brought to the Bush administration by the Grocery Manufacturers of America, a trade group representing food companies such as PepsiCo Inc. and Hershey Foods Corp.
"One of the things we didn't see in the document was a recognition that it ultimately comes down to what individuals choose to do," spokesman Michael Diegel said. "You can't solve the problem by government fiat."
Executives of two member companies of the trade group — David Murdock of Dole Food Co. Inc., and August Busch III of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. — have raised at least $100,000 for Bush's re-election campaign, giving them the status of "pioneers." The food industry has contributed $512,000 to the president's campaign.
"Why would this administration, or any administration, invoke the moral authority of the United States of America on behalf of the junk food and the obesity lobby?" said Gary Ruskin, executive director of Consumer Alert, an advocacy group affiliated with Ralph Nader (news - web sites).
HHS spokesman Bill Pierce said the administration's concerns are based on science, not on the views of industry. |
