Remarks

     "Good morning. Thank you very much for that very kind introduction. It is a pleasure to be here this morning and to share in this important conference with you. I want to thank both Secretary Thompson and Secretary Paige for being such wonderful partners in our mutual efforts to support the President’s Healthier US Initiative.

     "It is great to be here today to talk about how we can advance this Initiative.

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 "I think that the title of your conference, “Steps to a Healthier US”, is appropriate. Every journey requires a first step … and when it comes to something as vital as the health crisis facing Americans, we all must take that first step today, even if it is just a baby step.

     "The details of our health crisis are becoming more well-known, but they are no less shocking:

     "Childhood obesity in the United States has tripled since 1980. Six out of 10 adults are overweight or obese, and those numbers are increasing.

     "The health-related cost of obesity and other nutrition-related diseases is a staggering $117 billion each year. That is more than the combined budgets of the states of California and Connecticut.

     "The challenge is more than any one person or entity can handle.

     "That is why President Bush called on all of us to participate when he announced the Healthier US Initiative last June.

     "He knows … and we must accept … that all of us have a role to play when it comes to taking Steps to a Healthier US.

     "The four pillars under the Healthier US Initiative show the importance of all of us working together to achieve our goals:

     "First, preventative screenings. I understand firsthand the importance of that message. It was a routine screening last year that detected my breast cancer at a very early stage which led to treatment.

     "Routine screenings can tell you a lot about your current health status and provide the opportunity to make meaningful changes in your health and in your life.

     "Second, making healthy choices such as avoiding tobacco and drugs and the abuse of alcohol.

     "Third, being physically active every day.

     "And fourth, eating a nutritious diet.

     "USDA supports all four pillars … for instance, the U.S. Forest Service, which is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has an initiative to promote recreational opportunities on our national forests to enhance physical fitness. We are working in partnership with other public lands agencies such as the Department of the Interior to enhance this part of the initiative.

     "But my main focus today is nutrition education and healthy eating.

     "USDA has been working closely with HHS and Education to implement Healthier US through an action-based memorandum of understanding which I signed with both Secretaries Thompson and Paige.

     "This broad MOU forms the basis for many of our activities to support nutrition education and physical activity in our nation’s schools.

     "The agreement is helping to support USDA’s Team Nutrition Initiative, which has the goal of improving children’s lifelong eating and physical activity habits.

     "Team Nutrition provides training and technical assistance to food preparers. It promotes nutrition curriculum and education in schools and it builds support throughout the school and community for healthy school environments.

     "We have sent Team Nutrition information to 104,000 schools with the assistance of the Department of Education. And thanks to that distribution, we have signed up hundreds of Team Nutrition Schools.

     "We are promoting the Healthier US Initiative nationwide at a conference for educators, business leaders, nutrition and public health professionals, school food service professionals, parents and teachers.

     "We are working with the Centers for Disease Control to develop materials that schools can use to improve their nutrition environment.

     "We are working with both HHS and Education to support “Action for Healthy Kids,” a nationwide initiative dedicated to creating health-promoting schools that support sound nutrition and physical activity.

     "The collaboration among USDA, HHS and Education has also produced the “Healthy Start, Grow Smart” series. These booklets for parents are tailored for every month in the first year of a child’s development.

     "Another way the Administration is implementing the Healthier US Initiative is through coordinated, multi-departmental demonstration projects in schools that will be rigorously evaluated to help ensure successful outcomes.

     "School districts will be asked to volunteer to participate in the demonstration projects and will be provided financial and other incentives to implement one or more of the four pillars of the Healthier US.

      "The Administration's Child Nutrition Reauthorization proposal includes the nutrition component for these Healthier US demonstration projects.

     To earn these nutrition incentives, schools would:

• Serve program meals that meet federal nutrition standards
  
• Offer healthful food options in vending machines, school stores and a la carte meals Promote the consumption of fruits and vegetables
  
• And deliver nutrition education.

     "USDA is also improving the nutritional health of young people through our pilot project to provide fruit and vegetable snacks in schools in several areas of the country.

     "We have heard countless stories about the popularity of these healthy-choice alternatives in schools, and we have included in our Child Nutrition Reauthorization proposal the potential to continue, and possibly expand, these healthful pilot projects into the next year.

     "Providing healthy school environments is a major goal for USDA in the reauthorization process, and the fruit and vegetable pilot is one innovative approach toward achieving that goal.

     "Also under this reauthorization, and as part of the President’s record budget request for nutrition and food-assistance programs, we have proposed $20 million for a breastfeeding peer-counseling program under the Women, Infants and Childrens Program.

     "This effort would target nutrition education and information aimed at encouraging women to begin breastfeeding, and also increasing the length of time a woman breast-feeds her baby.

     "USDA also supports the “Eat Smart. Play Hard.” campaign, which focuses on the importance of breakfast, healthy snacks, physical activity, and achieving a healthy balance between what you eat and what you do.

     "We recently launched a new website for the campaign at www.usda.gov that provides tools to reach children and their caregivers with these messages.

     "USDA has also stepped up its efforts to support the “5 A Day For Better Health” program, which emphasizes the health benefits of five or more daily servings of fruit and vegetables.

     "And we are announcing today that we have made USDA’s National Nutrient Database even easier to use than ever. It can now be downloaded to personal computers and laptops over the Internet. Last October, we made a portable version available for consumers on personal digital assistants.

     "We all have a responsibility to promote healthy choices and nutrition.

     "Parents can serve as examples of healthy eating and physical activity.

     "Families, communities and faith-based institutions can make healthy eating and exercise shared activities.

     "Teachers can find ways to build nutrition and physical education into their curricula, and school administrators can work toward a healthy school environment.

     "And the media can help by promoting nutrition and physical activity at times that reach children and their caregivers.

     "I want to reiterate my thanks to Secretaries Thompson and Paige for this enhanced commitment to the Healthier US Initiative.

     "As I have mentioned today, USDA is committed to supporting the Healthier US Initiative and to helping Americans make healthy lifestyle choices.

     "We are proud to be heading down this road with our partners, colleagues and all of you. The progress that we are able to make today will pay off many times over in a healthier society for tomorrow. Thank you very much.

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