The FIrst Lady's Noble War on Obesity - A Follow-up

On 1 March 2013, a blog post of mine was published in which I suggest that the First Lady's good deeds on the obesity front could be enhanced by limiting items eligible for purchase with food stamps to products that are wholesome and healthful, similar to those that are available to beneficiaries of the Women with Infants and Children's Program.  I received support for my view today, 11 March 2013, through the following letter to the editor of The Wall Street Journal:

I applaud First Lady Michelle Obama's commitment to working with business leaders to increase the public's consumption of fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods. In "The Business Case for Healthier Food Options" (op-ed, Feb. 28), she rightly points out that this is not just a matter of personal health; it concerns the fiscal health of our nation. The costs associated with chronic disease are staggering: $189.4 billion for cardiovascular disease, $147 billion for obesity and $116 billion for diabetes. Each of these figures represents one year of direct medical costs. The collaboration between Mrs. Obama and the business community represents a huge step in the right direction.

Mrs. Obama's op-ed contains only a single sentence on the role Congress plays in promoting good nutrition and improving access to healthy foods. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 increased the nutritional content of school lunches, but there are similar challenges with the adult population that have yet to be addressed, and Congress needs to take its responsibility seriously.

Take food stamps, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Junk-food manufacturers have successfully lobbied Congress to ensure the program permits its participants to buy unhealthy foods. Grocers who accept SNAP are therefore incentivized to stock highly processed, shelf-stable foods, which are the least healthful. Congress needs to "Put the N into SNAP" and prescribe healthful foods, just as the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program does. SNAP participants are prohibited from spending their government dollars on alcohol and tobacco because they damage health and have zero nutritional content—the same should be said of junk foods.

Elizabeth J. Kucinich

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM)

Washington