WASHINGTON - April 19 - Statement of CSPI Legal Affairs Director Bruce Silverglade

The latest draft of the World Health Organization's Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity, and Health offers an impressive comprehensive public health program to combat obesity. Rather than just focusing on consumer education and responsibility, it urges governments to consider limiting food advertising to children, using fiscal and pricing policies to promote the consumption of healthful foods, and examining the impact of agricultural policies on diet and health.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services pressured the WHO to weaken or delete those and other recommendations from the Global Strategy; fortunately, it generally did not succeed. We urge the Bush Administration not just to support the draft Global Strategy at the May 17 World Health Assembly, but also immediately to begin acting on the sensible recommendations.

###