The House Committee on Education and Labor passed the "Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act". This will now go to the House floor for financing - probably from the "Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010" passed by the Senate Agriculture Committee funded at $4.5 billion over 10 years.
A major push for this legislation comes from the military. Finally it is being acknowledged that obesity impacts the strategic balance of the country. For years, the fight of obesity was waged on micro level but now it is being fought at macro level because the increase of obesity threatens the very safety of the country. The 15,000 military recruiters found that 1 in 4, or 27% of all young adults between 17 and 24 cannot enlist. They are too overweight. As a result, hundreds of otherwise excellent recruits are being turned away.
The statistics are well known: Childhood obesity rates have tripled in the past 30 years. According to the CDC, in 10 years the number of states reporting 40% or more young adults as overweight or obese jumped from one to thirty nine!
A group of 150 retired generals and admirals released a report called "To Fat to Fight" to raise public awareness about a national security implications of the childhood obesity. The consensus is that parent choices cannot be legislated but food provided in school can be regulated. The price tag of $4.5 billion over ten years is far less than the $75 billion spent each year on health care costs related to obesity.
Finally, obesity is every one's problem.
Michael Cordier
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