Harkin statement: nutrition programs in the economic downturn

Statement of Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) from today's hearing

Promoting Health, Preventing Chronic Disease and Fighting Hunger, Assessment of USDA Food Assistance and Child Nutrition Programs In the Economic Downturn

“We are here today because our nation’s system of health care and for promoting the health and wellness of Americans is in crisis. We simply cannot continue any longer into the 21st Century suffering under a system that was outmoded in the past century. Families across America have understood the failure of our nation’s health system for years – they suffer through it daily.

“Now, with the strong commitment and leadership of a new president, and with bipartisan interest, we have before us the best chance, along with perhaps the most urgent and compelling need, we have ever had to reform our health care system – if we will seize it. Today’s hearing deals with a crucial part of reforming our American health system: promoting health and wellness, and preventing health problems, through better nutrition. Scientific studies are confirming what commonsense has told us for generations. Good childhood nutrition and healthy eating habits learned in childhood determine health for a lifetime.

“By all accounts, the health of our children is in tremendous need of improvement. Multiple factors - too many calories, too little exercise, heavy marketing of unhealthy foods, communities that discourage walking, lack of education about health diets - combine to undermine the health and nutrition of our children.

“One quarter of children ages 5 to 10 show early warning signs for heart disease, such as elevated blood pressure or high cholesterol. Type-2 diabetes, previously known as adult onset diabetes, has also increased dramatically in recent years. Current estimates suggest that, among children born today, the lifetime risk of developing type-2 diabetes is 30 percent for boys and 40 percent for girls. Among African-American and Latino children, the risks are even higher.

“Childhood overweight and obesity have been increasing steadily in recent years, especially the past two decades. According to the Institute of Medicine, obesity rates among American children and youth have increased dramatically. Between 1963 and 2004, obesity rates quadrupled, from 4 to 19 percent, for older children, those ages 6 to 11 years, and tripled, from five to 17 percent, for adolescents ages 12 to 19 years. Between 1971 and 2004, obesity rates nearly tripled among 2- to 5 year olds, rising from 5 to 14%.

“Research shows strong association between obesity and chronic disease, including cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease occur with greater frequency among obese children than do they among normal weight children.

“The second challenge is a rapidly deteriorating economy, with no end in sight. Just last week, a federal economic board declared what has been obvious to American families for some time - that the economy is in deep recession. Unemployment is rising rapidly. Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program, has reached record highs. According to a recent paper by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, if the current recession follows the pattern of past recessions, the number of Americans in poverty will likely rise by as many as 10 million people, including approximately 3 million children. Recently released food insecurity data from USDA shows that, between 2006 and 2007, the number of children experiencing severe food insecurity increased rapidly.

“But these are not just abstract statistics. We are seeing low-income families doing whatever they can to stretch their budgets as far as possible.

“Earlier this month, national news agencies carried a story about a Tampa mother who watered down her infant’s formula in order to save money. Her baby nearly died from water intoxication and malnourishment. This sad story underscores the reality that low-income Americans are having a hard time supporting the health and well-being of our nation’s children, particularly during this downward turn in the economy.

“These two challenges - poor nutrition and economic distress - are not independent phenomena, but are closely intertwined. As work and income erode, families find it increasingly difficult to purchase the healthy and nourishing foods that they need for their children. Why? Because research shows that healthy foods tend to cost more than those with high caloric density and few nutrients. As a result, a poor economy and reduced family income are likely to increase the nutritional challenges that our children face, further driving up obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

“This hearing marks the beginning of this committee’s response to these challenges as we undertake the reauthorization of federal child nutrition programs, including the School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, the WIC Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Programs. I have been involved in many of these reauthorizations and I’m proud of the bipartisan stewardship that the committee has provided over the years.

“These are the considerable challenges that we face. This committee alone cannot solve them, but we must do our part. Federal child nutrition programs provide a ready mechanism by which we can address both hunger and poor nutrition, but they can and must be strengthened to respond to the realities that we face. I look forward to working with my committee colleagues on the child nutrition reauthorization and hearing from the witnesses who have travelled here today and who will begin to point us forward.”