Food industry insider warns of ‘national epidemic’ of obesity

7/27/2019 Food industry insider warns of ‘national epidemic’ of obesity

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Remarks for ILSI CEO Dinner " h s ,-, Draft: April 2,1999

Minneapolis, Minnesota

April 8,1999

Michael Mudd :

Thank you, Paul, andd good evening everyone . Jim and I very much

appreciate this opportunity to talk to you about childhood obesity and the

growing challenge it . p r e s e n t s f o r u s a l l .

L e t m e s a y r i g h t a t t h e s t a r t , t h i s i s n o t a n e a s y s u b j e c t . There are no easy

answers -- for what the public health community must do to bring this

problem under control . . .or for what i ndustry should do as others seek to

hold it accountable for what has happened .

B u t t h i s m u c h i s c l e a r : F o r t h o s e o f u s w h o ' v e l o o k e d h z r d a t t h i s i s s u e ,

w h e t h e r t h e y ' r e p u b l i c h e a l t h p r o f e s s i o n a l s o r s t a f f s p e c i a l i s t s i n y o u r

o w n c o m p a n i e s , w e f e e l s u r e t h a t t h e o n e t h i n g w e s h o u l d n ' t d o i s

nothing .

p://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/fcq76c00/pdf



2

Each of us who knows the issue might have our ow n thoughts on timing,

o r t h e s c o p e o f o u r r e s p o n s e , o r t h e s p e c i f i c t a c t i c s . B u t w e a l l a g r e e t h a t

" n o a c t i o n " i s u l t i m a t e l y a p a t h t o m o r e p u b l i c h e a l t h a n d p u b l i c r e l a t i o n s

problems .

A s c l e a r a s t h i s i s t o t h o s e w h o a r e c l o s e t o t h e i s s u e , w e k n o w i t i s

anything but clear to those who are new to it. And since many of you he re

t o n i g h t m a y s t i l i b e r e l a t i v e l y n e w t o t h e i s s u e , o u r j o b i s t o g e t y o u b r i e f e d

and recommend a course of action .

So, what exactly is the issue? What is it that we're facing?

W e l l , i n a n u t s h e l l , t h e f o o d i n d u s t r y i s b e i n g p o r t r a y e d a s a m a j o r c a u s e o f

a n e p i d e m i c o f o b e s i t y a n d a l l i t s d i s e a s e - r e l a t e d e f f e c t s . The proposed

remedies are troubling - taxes to control consumption, and regulations to

r e s t r i c t m a r k e t i n g a n d d a d v e r t i s i n g , e s p e c i a l l y t o k i d s .




3

L e t u s t e l l y o u a l i t t l e a b o u t w h o t h e c r i t i c s a r e , t h e c a s e t h e y ' r e m a k i n g , t h e

h a r d q u e s t i o n s w e f a c e i n d e c i d i n g w h a t t o d o , a n d f i n a l l y w h a t i t i s w e

b e l i e v e t h e i n d u s t r y s h o u l d d o .

Jim Hill :

T h e f o r c e s a l i g n i n g o n t h e i s s u e i n c l u d e p u b l i c h e a l t h a n d o b e s i t y e x p e r t s ,

a c t i v i s t g r o u p s , p r o f e s s i o n a l a s s o c i a t i o n s , p o l i t i c i a n s , a n d t h e m e d i a .

S o m e o f t h e v o i c e s a r e t r a d i t i o n al c r i t i c s o f t h e f o o d i n d u s t ry . B i l l D i et z a t

CDC; t h e C e nt e r f o r S c i e n c e i n t h e P u b l i c I n t e r e s t ; t h e C a n c e r S o c i e t y ; t h e

Heart Association ; a n d t h e m o s t v o c a l c r i t i c , K e l l y B r o w n e l l , o f Y a l e

University, now the home of industry's ol d friend, former FDA

Commissioner Davidl Kessler .

But more important, we're also hearing sincere concerns about obesity

from many of industry's tradition al allies . . .experts whose points of view N0industry has shared and respected, and who have acted as spokespeople ~

W0o n b e h a l f o f i n d u s t r y ' s o w n o r g a n i z a t i o n s.Nuc n




4

A m o n g a l l t h e s e v o i c e s t h e r e i s n e a r u n a n i m o u s a g r e e m e n t - - a n d g r e a t

f r u s t r a t i o n , I m i g h t a d d - - t h a t o b e s i t y i s r i s i n g t o e p i d e m i c p r o p o r t i o n s ,

w i t h d e v a s t at i n g p u b l i c h e a l t h c o n s e q ue n c e s . T h ey p o i nt t o :

∎ obesity rates among children and adolescents that have more than

doubled in 20 years ;

∎ the fact that more, than half the adult population is now overweight,

with nearly 40 million of them already classif ied as obese ;

∎ the causal relationship between obesity and diabetes, heart disease and

cancer ;

∎ an estimated 300,000 obesity-related deaths a year ;

∎ and massive social costs they estimate at anywhere from $40 to $100

b i l l i o n a y e a r .

Let me tak e a few moments here to define some terms and give you some

detail behind those bullets up there on the screen .




5

T h e b a s i c m e a s u r e u s e d t o f o r i d e n t i f y o v e r w e i g h t a n d o b e s i t y i s c a l l e d

body mass index, or BMI . B M I i s c a l c u l a t e d a s w e i g h t i n k i l o g r a m s

d i v i d e d b y h e i g h t s q u a r e d i n m e t e r s . F o r t u n a t e l y , t h e r e a r e c o n v e n i e n t

t a b l e s l i k e t h i s o n e t o u s e i n c a l c u l a t i n g B M I . I w i l l t a k e a m i n u t e a n d l e t

you calculate your own BMI .

T h i s n e x t s l i d e s h o w s h o w t o u s e B M I t o i d e n t i f y t h o s e i n d i v i d u a l s w h o

a r e o v e r w e i g h t o r o b e s e . A h e a l t h y B M I i s b e t w e e n 1 8 . 5 a n d 2 4 . 9 . I f y o u r

B M I i s b e t w e e n 2 5 a n d 2 9 . 9 , y o u w o u l d b e c l a s s i f i e d a s o v e r w e i g h t . I f y o u r

B M I i s 3 0 o r a b o v e , y o u w o u l d b e c l a s s i f i e d a s o b e s e . A n d w i t h i n o b e s i t y ,

t h e r e a r e s e v e r a l c l a s s e s o f i n c r e a s i n g s e v e r i t y .

Now in looking at how the U . S . population is distr ibuted along the BMI

curve, you can see that only 45% of American adults have a healthy BMI .

About 33% are overweight and 22% are obese .

How does this compare to years past? Well, as you can see, obesity was

increasin g only slightly over most of the last 40 years . But that changed

dramatically in the late 1980s and early 1990s when obesity took a big

jump upwards. Andl this trend appears to be continuing .




Here you can see some of the most recent information displayed more

graphically. I n 1 9 8 5 , d a t a w a s r i t e v e n a v a i l a b l e a t t h e s t a t e l e v e l i n m a n y

p a r t s o f t h e c o u n t r y . B y 1 9 9 1 , a l l b u t N e v a d a w e r e r e p o r t i n g a n d o b e s i t y

w a s o n t h e r i s e . B y 1 9 9 7 , e v e r y s t a t e i n t h e c o u n t r y h a d a t l e a s t 1 0 % o f i t s

p o p u l a t i o n c l a s s i f i e d , a s o b e s e , a n d m o s t h a d m o r e t h a n 1 5 % i n t h a t

category . A n d , a s y o u r e c a l l , i n t o t a l , 2 2 % o f t h e U S a d u l t p o p u l a t i o n i s

n o w c l a s s i f i e d a s o b e s e .

O v e r w e i g h t a n d o b e s i t y a r e n o t j u s t p r o b l e m s i n t h e U . S . , o r e v e n j u s t i n

dev eloped countries . . M a n y d e v e l o p i n g c o u n t r i e s h a v e a s i g n i f i c a n t

prob lem w ith ov erw eight and ob esity .

What about obesity in children? Here is where obesity experts are really

worried .

F i r s t o f a l l , i t i s h a r d e r t o a c c u r a t e l y a s s e s s o v e r w e i g h t a n d o b e s i t y i n

children, but there are many indications that children of all ages have

gotten significantly heavier over the past few decades . We have the fattest

and most unfit generation of children ever and it's hard to imagine that

this will not translate into a generation of obese adults .




7

A g a i n , c h i l d h o o d o b e s i t y i s n o t j u s t a U . S . p r o b l e m . M a n y c o u n t r i e s

a r o u n d t h e w o r l d a r e a n t i c i p a t i n g a n e p i d e m i c o f c h i l d h o o d o b e s i t y i n t h e

n e a r f u t u r e .

What are the health implications of all this? Studies show that obese

individuals are at a higher risk of developing chronic diseases such as

diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and cancer . Overweight individ uals

have some increased risk, but not as much as those who are obese .

T h e d i s e a s e e f f e c t s ' c a r i b e r e l a t i v e l y q u i c k . . .for example, with the onset of

diabetes . I n o t h e r i n s t a n c e s , i t ' s l o n g e r - t e r m , a s w i t h , s a y , c a n c e r o r h e a r t

disease .

H e r e y o u c a n s e e r e c e n t e s t i m a t e s o n e i g h t s i g n i f i c a n t d i s e a s e s a n d t h e

p e r c e n t a g e a t t r i b u t a b l e t o o b e s i t y - o v e r 6 0 % o f T y p e I I d i a b e t e s , 1 7 % o f t h e

c h r o n i c h e a r t d i s e a s e a n d h y p e r t e n s i o n c a s e s , 3 0 % o f g a l l b l a d d e r d i s e a s e ,

and so on .




8

A n d a s f o r c o s t s , a j o i n t s t u d y b y H a r v a r d a n d t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f V i r g i n i a

h a s e s t i m a t e d t h a t i n i t h e U. S

. i n 1 9 9 5 t h e e c o n o m i c c o s t o f o b e s i t y w a s a s

m u c h a s 1 0 0 b i l l i o n d o l l a r s . T h i s i n cl u d e s di r e c t he a l t h c a r e c o s t s a s w e ll

a s i n d i r e c t c o s t s s u c h ' ; a s t h e l o s s o f p r o d u c t i v i ty . B y t h e w a y , t h i s a n a l y s i s

e s t i m a t e d t h a t o b e s i t y a c c o u n t s f o r j u s t u n d e r 6 % o f a l l h e a l t h c a r e c o s t s i n

the US .

Now you are probabl . y a s k i n g , w h y i s o b e s i t y s o m u c h m o r e p r e v a l e n t

t o d a y t h a n i t w a s o n l y a c o u p l e o f d e c a d e s a g o ? K e e p i n m i n d t h a t e x p e r t s

d o r i t a l w a y s a g r e e o n w h y , b u t s o m e c o n s i s t e n t t h e m e s a r e b e g i n n i n g t o

emerge .

One is that the increase in obesity cari t be caused by genetics, because

genes just dori t charRge that much in a 1 0 or 20 year period . The answer,

m a n y e x p e r t s b e l i e v e , i s m o r e l i k e l y t o b e o n e o f l i f e s t y l e s .

They argue that the environment we live in makes obesity easy . In two

NO40 '

to0ww00ways .




9

First, we are surrounded by a virtually limitless supply of inexpensive,

good tasting, super-sized, energy dense foods . I n f a c t , t h a t ' s o f t e n t h e v e r y

essence of what consumers seem to want and industry tries to provides -

the value represented by a large quantity of good-tasting food at a

competitive price .

With food so accessiUle, it can be easy to overeat .

H e r e , g e n e s d o p l a y a ' , r o l e . O u r p h y s i o l o g y d e v e l o p e d i n a p e r i o d m i l l i o n s

o f y e a r s a g o w h e n t h e m a j o r g o a l w a s t o g e t e n o u g h f o o d t o k e e p f r o m

s t a r v i n g . E v o l u t i o n b u i l t i n t o u s v e r y e f f e c t i v e m e c h a n i s m s t o e n s u r e t h a t

we eat enough . But unfortunately not everyone has learned to limit food

i n t a k e w h e n f o o d i s s o a b u n d a n t l y a v a i l a b l e .

B u t f o o d i s o n l y p a r t o f t h e s t o r y . Obesity is really about energy balance .

About how many calo,'ries we burn in relation to how many we take in .

And it's very likely that our energy expenditure has declined substantial ly

over the past four decades .




10

While we do not have good measures of how much this has declined, it

seems intuitively obvious that the total volume of phy sical activity has

dropped significantly for much of the population . And this is the second

way in which our environment plays a part .

T h e w o r k p l a c e t o d a y , s i m p l y d o e s n o t d e m a n d t h e s a m e l e v e l o f p h y s i c a l

a c t i v i t y i t o n c e d i d . M u c h o f d a i l y l i f e d o e s r i t e i t h e r . A n d c e r t a i n l y f o r

s c h o o l - a g e c h i l d r e n t h e r e ' s b e e n a b i g c h a n g e , w i t h o n l y f e w e r t h a n h a l f

the schools in America now offering regular physical education programs

of any kind .

And it's also ob vious that there have been significant increases in

sedentary activities such as watching TV, surfing the net, or playing video

games .

I t ' s n o t c r e d i b l e t o a t k r i b u t e b l a m e s o l e l y t o e i t h e r i n c r e a s e d f o o d

consumption or decreased physical activity, since both contribute to an

excessive energy balance and obesity . However, I personally believe that

the decline in physical activity has been a key factor in the increase in

obesity a nd I also believe that this provides a good target for intervention .




11

W h i l e v i r t u a l l y a l l t h e e x p e r t s b l a m e c h a n g e s i n b o t h d i e t a n d e x e r c i s e f o r

t h e o b e s i t y p r o b l e m , t h e m o r e h o s t i l ec r i t i c s , l i f t i n g t a c t i c s f r o m t h e t o b a c c o

w a r , p a i n t a f a r d a r k e r p i c t u r e . They've developed :

∎ sensationalized charges of a "toxic food e nvironment"

∎ an emphasis on diet rather exercise . . . where big corpo rations can be

targeted, and accused of a classic predator-victim attack

∎ a focus on kids . . . w h e r e e m o t i o n s a r e h i g h e s t , t h e n o t i o n o f i n f o r m e d

c h o i c e i s l o w e s t , a n d p r o p o s a l s f o r g o v e r n m e n t a c t i o n a r e m o s t

appealing

∎ and on marketing, . . w i t h i n f l a t e d r h e t o r i c i n s i s t i n g t h a t R o n a l d

McDonald is nothing more than Joe Camel's evil twin

To give yo u some flavor of this, let me quote a recent statement of Kelly

Brownell's : "As a culture, we have become upset by the tobacco companies

advertising to children, but we sit idly by while the food companies do the

very same thing . AndL we could make a claim that the toll taken on public

health by a po or diet rivals that taken by tobacco . "

04

~~~w0wPAUSE




12

So, what are these critics saying should be done?

Well, virtually no experts take a one-dimensional approach, and many see

physical activity as the more promising area for progress . Unfortunatel y,

though, the most vocal critics - the ones that get all the media play - are

f o c u s i n g t h e i r p u bl i c . c o m m e n t s a l m o s t e n t i r e l y o n t h e f o o d i n d u s t r y .

They are calling for : ,

∎ t a x e s o n t h e " b a d " f o o d s s o t h e y c o s t m o r e

∎ s u b s i d i e s o n t h e " g o o d " f o o d s s o t h e y c o s t l e s s

∎ and restrictions oni food advertising aimed at children

As Kelly Brownell puts it, and I quote, "Junk food advertisements should

be regulated and excise taxes imposed on high-fat foods, just as they are

with tobacco and alcohol . "




1 3

Michael Mudd :

Of cours e these ideas w ould go no where without amp lification b y the

media . B u t p r e d i c t a b l y , t h i s i s a h o t s t o r y , w i t h c o v e r a g e w i d e s p r e a d a n d

g r o w i n g , e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e l a s t s i x m o n t h s .

The New Yor k Times and the Washing to n Po st r an it fr on t page . US News

& W o r l d R e p o r t p u t i t o n i t s c o v e r . C N N h a s a i r e d m u l t i p l e s t o r i e s . TIME

d i d a b i g p i e c e . T h e E c o n o m i s t h a s c o v e r e d i t . C S P I d e d i c a t e d m o s t o f i t s

N u t r i t i o n A c t i o n N e w s l e t t e r t o i t . T h e c o n t r o v e r s y i s a l l o v e r t h e i n t e r n e t .

And at the end of last , year, Fr on tline, t he document ary series on PBS,

aired a hard-hitt ing, hour-lon g r eport so lely on t he ob esity pr ob lem, w ith

t h e f o o d i n d u s t r y a t t h e c e n t e r o f t h e s t o r y . Here are a few clips fr om that

r e p o r t t o g i v e y o u a f e e l f o r i t s d i r e c t i o n .

SHOW FRONTLINE VIDEO




1 4

P o l i c y m a k e r s a r e b e g i n n i n g t o l a t c h o n t o t h e i s s u e a s w e l l . For example,

L o u i s i a n a - - t h e s t a t e w i t h t h e h i g h e s t o b e s i t y r a t e s - - r e c e n t l y p a s s e d

l e g i s l a t i o n . IYs intended to document the effects of obesit y on the state's

sharp rise in diabetes, heart disease and stroke, and to suggest policy

solutions . T his law is now being offered by the C ouncil of S tate

Governments as model legislati on for the other 49 states .

Last October, USDA held a day-long conference on obes ity, with Secretary

Glickman and Surgeon General Satcher calling it a "national epidemic . "

And now a White Ho use Confere nce on Nutrition -- the first in 30 years --

is being planned for earl y 2000 .

With all this, can the trial lawyers be far behind? A recent article in The

Economist quoted Lester Brickman, a New York law professor and expe rt

o n l e g a l f e e s . B rickman predicted that the flood of cash going to a small

group of trial law yers'from the tobacco settlements w ill finance a w ave of

mass litigation against other industries, including alcohol and food, on

s i m i l a r p u b l i c h e a l t h g r o u n d s .

. i




1 5

Of course, this approach is already being pursued by big-city mayor s

against gun manufacturers and distributors, with the help of these same

law firms who represented the states in their suits against the tobacco

companies .

I f a n y o n e i n t h e f o o d i n d u s t r y e v e r d o u b t e d t h e r e w a s a s l i p p e r y s l o p e o u t

t h e r e , I i m a g i n e t h e y a r e b e g i n n i n g t o e x p e r i e n c e a d i s t i n c t s l i d i n g

sensation right about now .

B u t j u s t w h e r e w e a l l l a r e o n t h i s i s h a r d t o s a y . Just how close we are to

t h i s r h e t o r i c t u r n i n g i n t o p u n i t i v e l e g i s l a t i o n o r r e g u l a t o r y a c t i o n i s

anyone's guess .

My own guess is thi s . When you think back over the tobacco experience of

the last 50 years, a very big turning point was the 1964 Surgeon General

Report .




1 6

T h a t r e p o r t b r o u g h t t o g e t h e r y e a r s o f c r i t i c i s m , r e s e a r c h , c o n t r o v e r s y , a n d

d e b a t e - a n d i t c o a l e s c e d i t , g a v e i t a s h a p e , a l e g i t i m a c y , a f o c u s , a n d a

m o m e n t u m t h a t s e t a c o u r s e f o r t h e i s s u e w e ' r e s t i l l o n t o d a y .

We're not there yet on obesity and food . And we all know that t he food

and tobacco situations are not the same . But the point is, we don't ev er

want to reach the food industry equiv alent of the 1964 Surgeon General's

Re p o r t . My hope is that the White House Conference I mentioned doesn t

turn into a similar watershed event .

T h e b i g q u e s t i o n , o f c o u r s e , i s w h a t s h o u l d t h e i n d u s t r y d o ? I f w e b e c o m e

p r o a c t i v e , w i l l t h a t h e l p p r e - e m p t t h e w o r s t o u t c o m e s ? O r w i l l i t a c c e l e r a t e

them?

In formulating the food industry's response, we need to keep a few realities

in mind :

• f i r s t , w e c a n n o t p r e t e n d f o o d i s n ' t p a r t o f t h e o b e s i t y p r o b l e m . . . n o

c r e d i b l e e x p e r t w i l l a t t r i b u t e t h e r i s e i n o b e s i t y s o l e l y t o d e c r e a s e d

p h y s i c a l a c t i v i t y




1 7

∎ m a n y o f t h e c r i t i c i s m s o f f o o d i n d u s t r y m a r k e t i n g m a y s e e m c o n s i s t e n t

w i t h p e o p l e ' s e v e r y d a y e x p e r i e n c e . . . f a s t f o o d r e s t a u r a n t s a r e

u b i q u i t o u s , i n c l u d i n g i n s i d e s c h o o l c af et er ia s . . . s u p e r - s i z i n g is a

common strategy

∎ a n d i f y o u m a p p e d c a t e g o r i e s o f f o o d a d v e r t i s i n g , e s p e c i a l l y

a d v e r t i s i n g t o k i d s , a g a i n s t t h e F o o d G u i d e P y r a m i d , i t w o u l d t u r n t h e

Pyramid on its head

∎ f r u s t r a t i o n i n t h e p u b l i c h e a l t h c o m m u n i t y i s h i g h a n d r i s i n g

f a s t . . . t h e y ' v e s e e n t h e e p i d e m i c c o m i n g a n d h a v e n o t b e e n a b l e t o s t o p

i t . . . a n d n o w e v e n t : h e m o s t m o d e r at e e x p e r t s b e l ie v e m o r e d r a s t ic

m e a s u r e s a r e n e e d e d

∎ and there's one other compelling reality . . . o b e s i t y i s a n u t t e r l y v i s i b l e

p r o b l e m ; a s i t s p r e v a l e n c e i n c r e a s e s , i t w i l l b e o b v i o u s t o a l l

B e y o n d t h e s e r e a l i t i e s , t h e f o o d i n d u s t r y s h o u l d t r y t o l e a r n w h a t i t c a n

f r o m t h e t o b a c c o e x p e r i e n c e . For example :

∎ g i v e n t i m e , w h a t i s t o d a y a m i n o r i t y o p i n i o n h e l d b y t h e p u b l i c h e a l t h

e l i t e c a n g r o w t o a ' w i d e l y h e l d p u b l i c b e l i e f . . . a n d b e c o m e t h e b a s i s f o r

c h a n g e s i n p u b l i c p o l i c y




1 8

∎ s t o n e w a l l i n g t h e i s s u e c a n d e s t r o y c r e d i b i l i t y , i n t e n s i f y h o s t i l i t y , a n d

ultimately may produce more damaging consequences

∎ t h e o b e s i t y s t o r y w ; i l l b e j u s t a s a t t r a c t i v e t o s o m e o f t h e m e d i a a s

t o b a c c o i s - a n d i n t e r e s t i n g l y , i t m a y b e u n i q u e l y b i a s e d b y t h e m e d i a ' s

o w n i n t e r e s t i n t h e d e b a t e , b e c a u s e e x c e s s i v e t e l e v i s i o n v i e w i n g i s

universally held to be a major cause of the decline in childhood fitness

While there are similarities, there are also important and more forgiving

differences between the food and tobacco issues :

∎ 100% of the population eats and always will

∎ p h y s i c a l a c t i v i t y i s a b i g p a r t o f t h e i s s u e , s o f o o d s h o u l d n e v e r b e t h e

s o l e f o c u s o f t h e d e b a t e

∎ moderation is a widely recommended course of action . . . t h i s i s n o t a n

a l l - o r - n o t h i n g p r o p o s i t i o n

∎ abundant food choices for maintaining a h ealthy diet are readily

available, so a "solution" is within everyone's reach




1 9

∎ r e s p o n d i n g t o t h i s i s s u e m i g h t a c t u a l l y c r e a t e b u s i n e s s o p p o r t u n i t y

- - i n t h e f o r m o f n e w p r o d u c t s , o r f r o m t h e s i m p l e b i o l o g i ca l f a c t t h a t

p e o p l e w h o a r e p h y s i c a l l y a c t i v e c a n e a t m o r e w i t h o u t g a i n i n g w e i g h t

t h a n p e o p l e w h o l e a d a s e d e n t a r y l i f e

With all this in mind ; representatives from a number of companies ha ve

b e e n d e v e l o p i n g a d e , t a i l e d p l a n o f r e s p o n s e . Here is wha t we propose :

We want to create a coalition of a significant number of companies -- food

manufacturers, ing redient companies, and restaurant chains . And

together with approp,iiate third- party experts and other partners, we want

to implement a national program to promote healthy lifestyles .

I m p o r t a n t l y , o u r p r o g r a m w i l l b e f o c u s e d o n p r e v e n t i o n r a t h e r t h a n

t r e a t m e n t o f o b e s i t y . A n d i t w i l l b e f o c u s e d s p e c i f i c a l l y o n k i d s . . . o n

c h i l d r e n a n d a d o l e s c e n t s , r a t h e r t h a n t h e g e n e r a l p o p u l a t i o n .

N0By b e i n g p a r t o f t h e s a l u t i o n , w e h o p e t o d e f l a t e t h e g r o w i n g c r i t i c i s m o f ~m0the industry and a void the drastic measures our critics are proposing. c~4

~




20

The elements of the program include :

∎ research to learn inore about obesity, consumption and physical

a c t i v i t y t r e n d s , a n d t h e b e s t w a y s t o m a n a g e d i e t a n d e x e r c i s e t o

p r e v e n t o b e s i t y

∎ a n i n v e n t o r y o f c t a r r e n t a n d p a s t l i f e s t y l e i n t e r v e n t i o n p r o g r a m s t o

i d e n t i f y p r o v e n s t i c c e s s e s

∎ widespread disseznination of the best programs

∎ an aggressive public education campaign on diet and exercise

∎ p u b l i c o p i n i o n r e s e a r c h t o t r a c k c o n s u m e r a t t i t u d e s

∎ a n d , i f n e e d e d , t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f a n i n d u s t r y c o d e t o g u i d e t h e

n u t r i t i o n a l a s p e c t s o f f o o d m a r k e t i n g , e s p e c i a l l y t o c h i l d r e n

Jim Hill :

S o t o t o u c h o n e a c h o f t h e s e p o i n t s i n j u s t a l i t t l e m o r e d e t a i l . . .

The research would be conducted by acknowledged experts, most likely in

university settings . O ur goal would be to use the best science to give us the

best understanding of the problem . We'd want to learn :




2 1

∎ how much have childreri s food consumption and physical activity

patterns changed as obesity rates have increased?

∎ does a more active lifestyle actually build in protection against over-

eating?

∎ f r o m a h e a l t h s t a n d p o i n t , i s f i t n e s s m o r e i m p o r t a n t t h a n e l i m i n a t i n g a

moderate excess af weight?

∎ w h a t f a c t o r s c a n h e l p i n c r e a s e t h e o d d s o f c h i l d r e n a c h i e v i n g

sustainable behavior change?

Next, we would conduct a wide-ranging search to id entify the best

intervention programs that already exist and been proven effective in

promoting healthy lifestyles for kids .

We ll be looking for programs that a re :

∎ actionable

∎ affordable

∎ that ideally include both nutrition and physical activity

∎ that can be applied in-school, after-school, and at home

∎ and that were developed and tested by credible organizations




22

Let me give you a co,uple of examples . The National Institutes of Health

spent about 40 milii'on d ollars to test a physical activity and nutrition

intervention called CATCH in elementary schools . While CATCH was

effective in increasing physical activity, it is not widely used because NIH

did not allocate funding for dissemination .

Another similar NI H program is on e called SPARK . I t f o c u s e s e n t i r e l y o n

physical activity, it's been shown to be effective, and it has modest

implementation costs . B u t l i k e C A T C H , i t ' s s i t t i n g o n a s h e l f f o r l a c k o f

dissemination funds .

So we could take advantage of the R&D investment NIH h as already

made, and with only a small fraction of the dollars distribute these

programs to anyone who wanted them, and actively encourage their use .

Partnering with nutrition, education, parenting, and government groups,

we d disseminate thejprograms to :

∎ school systems, Boys & Girls Clubs, 4-H groups, parents, an d so on

∎ and we'd d o it usiiig printed materials, CD-ROMS, and a web site




2 3

∎ and we could provide modest incentive grant s to schools and

organizations to help them implement the programs

Mi c h a e l Mu d d :

Supporting it all would be as broad-based a comm unications program as

we could muster .

∎ we'd try to get the Ad Council to develop PSA's

∎ p e r h a p s t h e i n d u s t r y c o u l d f o r m i t s o w n j o i n t c a m p a i g n w i t h i t s a d

a g e n c i e s , s i m i l a r t o t h e P a r t n e r s h i p f o r a D r u g - F r e e A m e r i c a

∎ and we would build public awareness by creating a consumer website

and generating significant news and feature coverage in media targeted

to kids and parents . . .to drive the coverage, we will form alliances with

groups such as the American Dietetic Associatio n, the Diabetes

A s s o c i a t i o n , t h e P ' r e s i d e n t ' s C o u n c i l o n F i t n e s s , w h o w i l l a c t a s

spokespersons for ; the cause




24

The goals of the campaign would be to :

∎ to communicate the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and motivate behavior

c h a n g e

• help r ecast nutr itipn and phy sical activ ity in positiv e ter ms

∎ communicate the fundamentals of a healthy lifestyle choices

∎ and visibly demorEstrate the food industry's conunitment to addressing

the issues

To tr ack public attitudes, especially on tax and r egulatory pr oposals, we'll

need to do periodic opinion surveys . And we ll want to begin as soon as

possible with a round . o f r e s e a r c h t o e s t a b l i s h a b a s e l i n e .

A f i n a l e l e m e n t i n t h e , p r o g r a m m i g h t b e a n i n d u s t r y c o d e t o g u i d e t h e

m a r k e t i n g a n d a d v e r t i s i n g o f f o o d t o k i d s . This is something we might

w a n t t o b e g i n w o r k o n n o w , b e c a u s e a d v e r t i s i n g r e s t r i c t i o ns c o u l d b e t h e

f i r s t a r e a w h e r e o u r c r i t i c s a r e a b l e t o g e n e r a t e r e g u l a t o r y i n t e r e s t .




25

As you know, through the NAD, the community of national advertisers

already has an outstanding record of effective self-regulation of

advertising practices .

And in particular, NAD's sub-group, the Children's Advertising Review

Unit, or CARU, has earned the respect of the FTC and other government

regulators for its constructive management of kids advertising and, most

recently, kids' privacy on the web .

C A R U ' s c o d e i s p r a c t i c a l a n d e f f e c t i v e . I t c o d i f i e s f a i r a n d r e a s o n a b l e

a d v e r t i s i n g p r a c t i c e s t h a t I i m a g i n e e v e r y o n e h e r e f r e e l y s u p p o r t s .

But CARU's code only; touches lightly on food marketing . We should

explore expanding the code to address more comprehensively the specific

issues of marketing and advertising food products to kids .

The whole point of this step - and the entire effort we re proposing tonight

- is to do ourselves what the public expects before others impose

unreasonable requirements on us . And by doing so, we hope to defuse the

criticism that's building against us .




2 6

PAUSE

With all that said, I'm sure you need the answers to at le ast four questions

-- how much will it cost? how lo ng will it go? how are we goin g to

measure it? and how are we going to manage it?

O n t h e c o s t s i d e , o u r b e s t e s t i m a t e i s a t o t a l o f $ 1 5 m i l l i o n o v e r t h e f i r s t

t h r e e y e a r s . H e r e y o u c a n s e e a p r e l i m i n a r y l o o k a t h o w w e t h i n k t h e

money should be invested . T h e m a j o r i t y w o u l d f u n d t h e d i s s e m i n a t i o n o f

t h e c o m m u n i t y - l e v e l l i f e s t y l e p r o g r a m s a n d t h e p u b l i c e d u c a t i o n

campaign . A n d a s i g n i f i c a n t a m o u n t w o u l d b e n e e d e d t o f u n d t h e t h i r d -

p a r t y r e s e a r c h .

As for duration, we believe the minimum commitment we must ask for is

three years . Anything less could not possibly produce a meaningful

i m pa c t .

But t h a t ' s n o t t o s a y t h a t w e t h i n k t h e o b e s i t y p r o b l e m w i l l b e s o l v e d i n

t h r e e y e a r s . An y b e h a v i o r i s s u e t h i s d e e p wi l l l i k e l y t a ke a g e n e r a t i o n t o

t u r n a r o u n d . W e r e d e a l i n g w i t h a s u p e r t a n k e r , n o t a j e t s k i .




27

I w a n t t o b e v e r y c l e a r h e r e . I n s a y i n g t h a t t h e o b e s i t y p r o b l e m w i l l t a k e a

l o n g t i m e t o s o l v e , o r e v e n b y u s i n g t h e w o r d " s o l v e , " w e a r e n o t f o r a

m o m e n t s u g g e s t i n g t h a t t h i s p r o g r a m o r t h e f o o d i n d u s t r y a l o n e c a n

p o s s i b l y s o l v e t h e p r o b l e m . O r t h a t t h a t ' s t h e m e a s u r e o f s u c c e s s f o r t h i s

program .

W e a r e s a y i n g t h a t t h e i n d u s t r y s h o u l d m a k e a s i n c e r e e f f o r t t o b e p a r t o f

t h e s o l u t i o n . . . a n d t h a t b y d o i n g s o , w e c a n h e l p t o d e f u s e t h e c r i t i c i s m

t h a t ' s b u i l d i n g a g a i n s t u s . W e d o n ' t h a v e t o s i n g l e - h a n d e d l y s o l v e t h e

o b e s i t y p r o b l e m i n o r d e r t o a d d r e s s t h e c r i t i c i s m . B u t w e h a v e t o m a k e a

s i n c e r e e f f o r t t o b e p a r t o f t h e s o l u t i o n i f w e e x p e c t t o a v o i d b e i n g

demonized .

And those will be the ineasures of success . Are we contributing

m e a n i n g f u l l y t o t h e e f f o r t a g a i n s t o b e s i t y ? A n d i s t h e c r i t i c i s m o f t h e

indust ry diminish ing?

A t t h i s p o i n t , w e a r e a s k i n g f o r a c o m m i t m e n t o f t h r e e y e a r s t o s e e w h a t w e

can achieve . A t t h e e n d o f t h o s e t h r e e y e a r s , w e l l s e e w h e r e w e a r e . I f a

r e n e w e d c o m m i t m e n t i s c a l l e d f o r , w e ' l l a s k f o r i t . I f n o t , w e w o n t .




2 8

As for governance, we are hoping to engage a number of industry groups

i n t h e e f f o r t .

ILSI would serve as the initial secretariat for the program and the 501(c)(3)

t h r o u g h w h i c h t h e m o n e y c o u l d b e m a n a g e d . Direction for the program

would come from a steering grou p made up of executives from the

contributing companies . Execution woul d be handl ed by a number of

g r o u p s . ILSI would tak e the lead on the scientific and technical elements

of the program . IFIC - the International Food Information Council -

would take the lead on the communication elemen ts .

F o r t h o s e o f y o u w h o m i g h t n o t b e a s f a m i l i a r w i t h I F I C , i t i s , i n e f f e c t , t h e

c o m m u n i c a t i o n s c o u n t e r p a r t t o I L S I . L i k e I LS I , i t i s f u n d e d l a r g e l y b y t h e

f o o d i n d u s t r y a n d i t e n j o y s e x c e p t i o n a l c r e d i b i l i t y w i t h t h e m e d i a ,

government, and the scientific community . The k ind o f communications

activitie s we are proposing here are exactly what IFIC does so well .

I F I C w o u l d w o r k i n c o o p e r a t i o n , a s i t h a s o f t e n d o n e i n t h e p a s t , w i t h

GMA, NFPA and a variety of other trade organizations to ensure

c o n s i s t e n t m e s s a g e s a r e b e i n g c o m m u n i c a t e d a c r o s s t h e i n d u s t r y .




29

As regulatory or legislative needs arose, GMA and NFPA would take the

lead, working with other relevant associations and partners .

In general, the way we would mange the overall project is exactly how we

have managed countless other initiatives for the last 15 yea rs .

So, where do we go from here?

Well, we won t be asking for any decisions or commitments from you

t o n i g h t I n t h e n e x t w e e k o r s o , y o u w i l l g e t a l e t t e r f r o m I L S I a s k i n g y o u t o

s e n d a s e n i o r r e p r e s e n t a t i v e t o a m e e t i n g w h e r e w e w i l l d i s c u s s t h e

p r o p o s a l i n m o r e d e t a i l - t h e p r o g r a m e l e m e n t s , t h e b u d g e t , t h e e v a l u a t i o n

measures . T h e p r o p o s a l w e ' v e p r e s e n t e d t o y o u t o n i g h t i s a s t a r t i n g p o i n t ,

a n d i s s t i l l w i d e o p e n t o t h e i n p u t o f a l l y o u r c o m p a n i e s .

A f t e r t h a t m e e t i n g , e a c h c o m p a n y w i l l n e e d t o d e c i d e w h e t h e r i t s w a n t s t o

p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h e e f f o r t o r n o t . O nce we have enough participants, the

s t e e r i n g c o m m i t t e e w i l l b e f o r m e d a n d i m p l e m e n t a t i o n w i l l b e g i n ,

h o p e f u l l y b y t h e e n d ' , o f t h e s e c o n d q u a r t e r .




3 0

In the meantime, all of us involved in the development of this plan want

you to know that we do not underestimate the challenge of getting so

many companies to agree on a course of action . And to a commitment to

provide $15 million . ' I t w o n ' t b e e a s y .

You know, it's funny ; I s a y t h a t , b u t i t s h o u l d b e e a s y . J us t t o gi v e t h a t

$ 1 5 m i l l i o n s o m e p e r s p e c t i v e , C S P I s p e n d s t h a t m u c h e v e r y y e a r . T h a t ' s

Michael Jacobson's annual budget .

And while, in that context, for us to raise $15 million over three years

doesn't sound like much, esp ecially spread over 10 or 15 companies, the

truth is, in the food industry that amount of money for this kind of purpose

has never been easy to come by .

Who knows? More than the money, the harder challenge may be in getting

o t h e r s t o s e e t h e w i s d o m o f t a k i n g a c t i o n .




3 1

I t ' s e a s y t o a r g u e t h a t : t a k i n g a c t i o n w i l l e s c a l a t e t h e d e b a t e . B u t , o f c o u r s e ,

t h e d e b a t e i s a l r e a d y a c c e l e r a t i n g w i t h o u t u s , a n d a t t h i s p o i n t t h e

i n d u s t r y h a s n o v o i c e ' i n i t . By speaking out we can make sure the debate

f o c u s e s , a s i t s h o u l d , o n p h y s i c a l a c t i v i t y a s w e l l a s f o o d .

I t ' s e a s y t o a r g u e t h a t , t a k i n g a c t i o n w i l l e l i c i t s o l u t i o n s t h a t w o n t w o r k

and will simply penalize the industry . But the worst-case proposals are

already on the table, with plenty of precedent s in the tobacco and alcohol

industries .

And it' s easy to argue ; that any action the industry takes has no hope, on

its own, of reversing such a massive social problem . But taking no action

has no chance of helping to make progr ess or of reducing critic ism of the

industry .

B y s e i z i n g t h e i n i t i a t i v e , a d d r e s s i n g t h e p r o b l e m , a n d a c t i n g t o h e l p s o l v e

it, we can generate max imum credibility for our efforts .




32

We have the luxury of doing something before the problem becomes a

c r i s i s f o r u s . And by,acting now, we may head off any stam pede to

demonize the food industry before it gathers broad-based momentum .

A n d e v e n i f p u b l i c b e h a v i o r d o e s n ' t c h a n g e s i g n i f i c a n t l y , a t l e a s t w e w i l l

h a v e d o n e t h e r i g h t t h i n g a n d m a d e a g o o d f a i t h e f f o r t . T h a t ' s g o t t o c o u n t

for something .

Thank you very much .

Applause

Jim Hill :

Thanks . We d certainly welcome any comments and we d be happy to

take any questions you may have .


Food industry insider warns of ‘national epidemic’ of obesity

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