Fundamental to the achievement of the HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000 nutrition objectives is a "marked improvement in accessibility of nutrition information and education for the general public." Four national nutrition information programs have taken on the challenge: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the Five A Day program, the Food Guide Pyramid, and the new "Nutrition Facts" food label. All four provide strong information/education foundations and essential messages for helping consumers make healthy choices about nutrition.
Although the majority of Americans do not recognize these programs as sources of dietary guidance messages, they do consider the messages important--an understanding essential to "eating for health." Only 3 in 10 adults (30 percent) are aware of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a set of eight recommendations set forth since 1980 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). According to the Food Label Use and Nutrition Education Survey sponsored by USDA, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, slightly more adults (33 percent) have heard of the Food Guide Pyramid, but fewer (22 percent) are aware of the Five A Day program.
Revisions of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are underway, with publication set for later this year. Increased emphasis on the role of physical activity in weight management is expected.
The Five A Day program delivers this message: for better health, eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Current consumption averages 3.5 servings per day.
The Food Guide Pyramid assists consumers in making food selections for a healthy diet by emphasizing appropriate servings of five food groups plus "sparing use" of the tip of the pyramid: fats, oils, and sweets. The message is: a healthy diet includes foods from all five groups in the proper amounts.
Americans eat far more servings of fats, oils, and sweets than recommended by the Food Guide Pyramid. Some consumers have difficulty recognizing sources of "hidden fat" in their diets and adhering to serving size recommendations. Nutrition educators are tailoring messages accordingly, and the new Nutrition Facts label is helping.
Required on almost all food packages, the Nutrition Facts label is a nutrition information guide for planning a healthy diet. Whether they are counting total calories or calories from fat or daily intake of calcium, consumers can make better-informed decisions about food purchases for themselves and their families. Consumers are using label information: between 1990 and 1994, the number of people using the food label to make product choices increased from 30 to 52 percent. Consumers like the new label, and its use should continue to increase.
Food and Drug Administration
Office of Consumer Affairs
5600 Fishers Lane
(HFE-88)
Rockville, MD 20857
(301)443-3170
http//vm.cfsan.fda.gov/index.html
Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1120 20th Street NW.
Washington, DC 20036
(202)418-2312
Food Labeling Education Information Center NAL/FNIC
10301 Baltimore Boulevard
Room 304
Beltsville, MD 20705-2351
(301)504-5719
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/
Five A Day
National Cancer Institute
Division of Cancer Prevention and Control
EPN Suite 330
6130 Executive Boulevard, MSC 7346
Bethesda, MD 20892-7346
(301)496-8520
Fax (301)402-0816
President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
Market Square East Building
701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.
Suite 250
Washington, DC 20004
(202)272-3431
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
31 Center Drive, MSC 2560
Building 31 Room 9A-04
Bethesda, MD 20892-2560
(301)496-3583
http//www.niddk.nih.gov
International Food Information Council Foundation (IFIC)
1100 Connecticut Avenue NW.
Suite 430
Washington, DC 20036
(202)296-6540
http//ificinfo.health.org/
[ODPHP]
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