obesity

The goal of the U.S. Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 was to enable the public make better-informed dietary choices through improved labeling on packaged foods.  A requirement of 2010 Affordable Health Care Act extends the concept to chain restaurants, requiring them to disclose similar information on the food they sell.

Obesity has long been a rising problem across the United States, and currently 35.7% of the adult population is obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Among all groups, non-Hispanic blacks have the highest obesity rates (49.5%); the next highest are Mexican Americans (40.4%), all Hispanics (39.1%) and non-Hispanic whites (34.3%).

Historically, smoking and obesity have had the greatest impact on disease and mortality rates in the United States. However, the relative importance of the two factors, has evolved significantly in the past two decades.

The benefits associated with being physically active include higher levels of fitness and lower risks of developing a number of chronic diseases.  In terms of weight management, however, most people who lose weight from increased physical activity are not able to sustain the loss over time.

For more than a decade marketers of prepared foods have used “front of package” labeling to promote the supposed health benefits of their products to consumers. Today supermarket shelves are lined with items labeled “low in calories” or “better for you” aimed at children and their parents. As concerns have grown about childhood obesity, however, the veracity of these claims has come into question.