- Author: Danielle L. Lee
The UC Nutrition Policy Institute submitted comments to the USDA on December 27, 2020 in opposition of a proposed rule to return flavored milk to school cafeterias. In their comment, NPI argues that reintroduction of chocolate milk into the USDA school breakfast and school lunch programs is "contrary to science" and would negate efforts to lower consumption of added sugars. The comment highlights a recent study by NPI in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health, on the impact of removing chocolate milk from the school lunch program. The study examined the effects of removing chocolate milk as part of efforts to reduce added sugar from the lunch program at middle and high schools in the San Francisco Unified School District during the 2017-18 school year. The study assessed the effect of chocolate milk removal policy on student milk selection, waste, and overall consumption and to estimate changes in calcium, protein, vitamin D, and added sugar intake among racially/ethnically and socioeconomically diverse secondary school students. The study found that, despite a slight decrease in student milk consumption after the policy was passed, student intake of milk's key nutrients -- calcium, protein, and vitamin D -- were not reduced, nor was there any increase in milk waste. Furthermore, students' consumption of added sugar from milk declined significantly, thus achieving the district's purpose in removing chocolate milk. The comment was developed in collaboration with the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption during the first five years of life is not recommended as this can lead to long-term health risks. Toddler drinks – marketed as "transition formulas" and "toddler milks" – are a relatively new product category developed by infant formula manufacturers and are being promoted as beneficial for young children 12 months and older. However, these drinks typically contain added sugars and cost more than cow's milk and, for these reasons, are not recommended by health professionals. An issue brief is available that summarizes the concerns surrounding toddler beverages and relevant policy recommendations. In July 2020, Nutrition Policy Institute (NPI) collaborated with Public Health Advocacy Institute along with 15 other organizations and 13 individuals to submit a petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting actions to address consumer confusion and public health harms caused by toddler drinks. More recently, NPI submitted on December 9, 2020 comments to FDA in support of the petition's requests. The comment was developed in collaboration with The Rudd Center and the Center for Science in the Public Interest's National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity. Organizations and individuals can submit their own comments on the petition to the FDA online.
The National Drinking Water Alliance, coordinated by the Nutrition Policy Institute, developed and submitted a recent comment in response to the Scientific Report of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. The comment, addressed to U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health & Human Services' officials responsible for translation of the science in the report into the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), focused on the attention that the next DGAs should give to drinking water in place of sugar-sweetened beverages. The comment had 97 signatories, including 23 organizations, as well as 74 researchers, health professionals and advocates, among them, Glenda Humiston, PhD, Vice President of the University of California (UC) Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and 25 UC scientists. The comment asks for clear, actionable advice in the 2020-2025 DGAs that will help encourage the American public to drink water in lieu of sugar-sweetened beverages. It urges USDA to add a symbol for water to the MyPlate graphic and other educational messaging. Read the full comment and see all the signatories here.
The Nutrition Policy Institute (NPI) submitted on April 22, 2020 comments in strong opposition to the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) “Simplifying Meal Service and Monitoring Requirements in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs” proposed rule. The proposed rule would roll back nutrition standards in both the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. For nearly twenty years, researchers at the NPI and its predecessor organization have engaged in research and evaluation to improve nutrition policy in California and the nation, with special emphasis on the challenges for low-income children in accessing a healthy diet. "Today, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, these challenges have been greatly magnified," commented NPI Policy Director Ken Hecht. "The numbers of unemployed low-income families whose children need nutrition assistance has grown exponentially at the very time when schools, the operating site for most child nutrition programs, are closed. Fortunately, Congress and the USDA have acted quickly to expand and ease access to the essential food programs. Unfortunately, the proposed rules to which these comments are addressed seem largely counterproductive to children's health and well being and unresponsive to the pandemic."
A comment composed by members of the National Drinking Water Alliance was signed by 62 individuals and 13 organizations and submitted to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) for the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs). The comment urged the DGAC to include in their report, strong language recommending that the new 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans state explicitly and unequivocally that water should be first for thirst and should be consumed in place of sugar-sweetened beverages. Further, the comment urges the needed steps be taken to add a symbol for water to the MyPlate graphic. Read the full comment here. The National Drinking Water Alliance is coordinated by the Nutrition Policy Institute. Learn more about the drinking water input at the National Drinking Water Alliance website.
