Fresh Produce Discussion Blog

Created by The Packer's National Editor Tom Karst

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Fw: The Ag Minute: Congress Must Reduce the Burdens on SmallBusinesses, Not Pile on More

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From: House Republican Agriculture Committee <agrepublicanpress@politicalmediagroup.com>
Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:41:26 -0500
To: Tom Karst<TKarst@vancepublishing.com>
Subject: The Ag Minute: Congress Must Reduce the Burdens on Small Businesses, Not Pile on More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 27, 2009
MEDIA CONTACT:
Tamara Hinton, 202.225.0184
tamara.hinton@mail.house.gov

The Ag Minute: Congress Must Reduce the Burdens
on Small Businesses, Not Pile on More

WASHINGTON – This week during The Ag Minute, Ranking Member Frank Lucas encourages Congress to reduce the burdens on small businesses, not pile on more.

Click here to listen to The Ag Minute. The transcript is below.

"This week the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold legislative hearings on the Senate version of the cap and tax bill.

"As this committee, and ultimately, the full Senate prepare to tackle this issue, it is important to realize the economic consequences of a cap and trade system.

"Our country's economy depends on the health of small businesses.  Small businesses account for more than two-thirds of new jobs, and employ just over half of all U.S. workers.  Many of these businesses are located in small towns and rural communities all across America.

"Small and medium-sized firms in rural America provide food, fiber, and energy to the U.S. and the world. Every $1 billion in exports creates more than 9,000 jobs.  This supports one-third of all jobs on the farm and two-thirds off the farm in areas such as transportation, trade, food processing, and other manufacturing sectors.

"A cap and trade system, which is essentially a national energy tax, would create higher operating costs for these small businesses forcing many of them to cut jobs or close shop altogether.   

"Today, unemployment is nearing double-digits nationally.  In some states high unemployment has long been a reality. 

"During these tough economic times, it is essential that Congress reduce the burdens on small businesses, not pile on more with a cap and trade system."

 

The Ag Minute is Ranking Member Lucas' weekly radio address that is released each Tuesday from the House Agriculture Committee Republicans. To listen to previous radio addresses click here.

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Agriculture Committee Republican Press Office
http://agriculture.house.gov/republicans



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Fw: New American Heart Association Scientific Statement RecommendsReduced Iintake of Added Sugars

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From: Produce for Better Health Foundation <pubrel@pbhfoundation.org>
Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:25:06 -0500
To: Tom Karst<TKarst@vancepublishing.com>
Subject: New American Heart Association Scientific Statement Recommends Reduced Iintake of Added Sugars

FVMM_LogoProduce for Better Health Foundation
 
For Imediate Release
October 22, 2009
 

For More Information Contact:    

             

Jill Le Brasseur

Communications Specialist

Produce for Better Health Foundation

Tel: 302-235-2329

Email: jlebrasseur@pbhfoundation.org

NEW AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION SCIENTIFIC STATEMENT RECOMMENDS REDUCED INTAKE OF ADDED SUGARS
 
Added Sugars Implicated in Increased Risk for Health Problems

Wilmington, Del. - A new scientific statement from the American Heart Association, published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, provides specific guidance on limiting the consumption of added sugars. This document also offers AHA's recommendations on specific levels and limits on the consumption of added sugars.

The statement says that most women should consume no more than 100 calories, or about six teaspoons, of added sugars per day and most men should consume no more than 150 calories, or about nine teaspoons, each day. In contrast, the statement cites a report from the 2001-04 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) that showed the average intake of added sugars for all Americans was about 22 teaspoons per day.
 
The study classifies all sugars and syrups added to foods during processing or preparation, as well as sugars and syrups added at the table, as added sugars. It states that a high intake of added sugars, as opposed to naturally occurring sugars, is implicated in the rise in obesity and also associated with increased risks for high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels, other risk factors for heart disease and stroke, and inflammation, which is a marker for heart disease.  
 
According to the statement, sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages are the number one source of added sugars in Americans' diet, with one 12-ounce can of regular soda containing about 130 calories and eight teaspoons of sugar.
 
The statement's lead author Rachel K. Johnson, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D., associate provost and professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont in Burlington, says that sugar has no nutritional value other than to provide calories.
 
The American Heart Association recommends a dietary pattern that is rich in fruits and vegetables, and contains low-fat dairy products, high-fiber whole grains, lean meat, poultry and fish. This statement expands on earlier recommendations by recommending a specific upper limit on added-sugars intake and also recommends that no more than half of a person's daily discretionary calorie allowance come in the form of added sugars. Added sugars, solid fats in food, and alcoholic beverages are categorized as discretionary calories and should be eaten sparingly.
 
"This statement simply reinforces the fact that a diet high in fruits and vegetables is important for the prevention of many chronic diseases," said Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D., president and CEO of Produce for Better Health Foundation, the nonprofit entity behind the Fruits & Veggies-More Matters® national public health initiative. "Eating a variety fruits and vegetables provides a wide range of valuable nutrients like fiber, vitamins and minerals, without added sugars."
 
Read the full American Heart Association Scientific Statement Dietary Sugars Intake and Cardiovascular Health as reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, Volume 120, Issue 11; September 15, 2009 online at http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/120/11/1011, or read this PDF. For more information on the American Heart Association's Scientific Position on Carbohydrates and Sugars, go to www.americanheart.org/nutrition/sugar.    
 
For user-friendly advice on how to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet; including, recipes, nutrition information, tips for getting kids to eat fruits and vegetables, and even videos, visit www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org.    


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Note to editors: for a print or web quality image of the Fruits & Veggies-More Matters logo, contact Jill LeBrasseur at jlebrasseur@pbhfoundation.org.
 
About Produce for Better Health Foundation

Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) consumer education foundation whose purpose is to motivate more people to eat more fruits and vegetables to improve public health. PBH is a member and co-chair of the National Fruit & Vegetable Alliance (NFVA), consisting of government agencies, non-profit organizations, and industry working to collaboratively and synergistically achieve increased nationwide access and demand for all forms of fruits and vegetables for improved public health.  This vision of the NFVA is a nation in which half of the foods Americans eat are fruits and vegetables.  Fruits & Veggies-More Matters is the nation's largest public-private, fruit and vegetable nutrition education initiative with Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition Coordinators in each state, territory and the military.
 
PBH's mission is to lead people to eat more fruits and vegetables because it matters for their better health. The foundation achieves success though industry and government collaboration, and a variety of marketing and nutrition education programs. To learn more, visit
www.pbhfoundation.org and www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org.
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Produce for Better Health Foundation | 5341 Limestone Road | Wilmington | DE | 19808