Liz Friedlander (202) 225-1564
Liz.Friedlander@mail.house.gov
James Ryder (202) 225-0020
James.Ryder@mail.house.gov
COLTON, Calif. – Today, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry held a field hearing in Colton, California, to review federal nutrition programs. Representative Joe Baca, who represents Colton in the U.S. Congress, chaired today’s hearing.
“Obesity related health spending has doubled in the past decade to reach a high of $147 billion annually,” Chairman Baca said. “If nothing is done to change this trajectory, it is estimated obesity will cost our nation $1 trillion by the year 2030. We must act decisively to stop this oncoming crisis and create healthier communities across our nation. Today’s hearing was an excellent opportunity to hear from experts at the local, state, and national level on ways to increase participation rates for nutrition programs and to better educate the public on healthy lifestyles.”
“It is imperative that our public policies involving health care and nutrition promote and incentivize healthy practices and wellness,” said Subcommittee Ranking Member Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska. “As we carefully allocate resources, an important topic of consideration should be the quality and health-promoting choices at the dinner table for families. This principle of healthy food combined with wise stewardship and personal responsibility should guide the goals of our nutrition and health-related policies.”
Members and witnesses at today’s hearing discussed participation rates in federal nutrition programs as well as their role in combating obesity and disease. The hearing included testimony from California state administrators, doctors, academics, and public health representatives.
Written testimony provided by the witnesses is available on the Committee website: http://democrats-agriculture.house.gov/hearings/index.html. A full transcript of the hearing will be posted on the Committee website at a later date.
Witness List:
Panel I
Ms. Lisa Pino, Deputy Administrator for Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
Ms. Christine Webb-Curtis, Chief, Food Stamp Branch, California Department of Social Services, Sacramento, California
Ms. Nancy Swanson, Director, Human Services Transitional Assistance Department, San Bernardino, California
Panel II
Dr. Guillermo Valenzuela, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, California
Dr. Webster Wong, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, California
Mr. Matthew Sharp, Senior Advocate, California Food Policy Advocates, Los Angeles, California
Ms. Edie Jessup, Program Development Specialist, Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Project of Central California Center for Health and Human Services, Fresno, California
Mr. Mathew Marsom, Director of Public Health Policy and Advocacy, Public Health Institute, Oakland, California
Ms. Claudia Page, Co-Director, The Center to Promote HealthCare Access, Oakland, California
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