House Democrats introduce bill to address rising childhood obesity

Two House Democrats have introduced a bill to try to address rising childhood obesity rates and diet-related chronic diseases such as diabetes

The Childhood Diabetes Reduction Act, introduced in the House by Reps. Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Scott Peters (D-Calif.), would require that the FDA implement clear nutrient and health warning labels for junk foods, ban junk food advertisements targeting children, direct the National Institutes of Health to expand research programs on the health effects of ultra-processed foods, and require the CDC to lead a national initiative to educate children and families on nutrient warning labels and the health risks associated with ultra-processed foods.

Over the past two decades, the availability and consumption of unhealthy, ultra-processed foods with little nutritional value has increased dramatically. Increasing evidence links consumption of these ultra-processed foods to negative health outcomes.

According to the CDC, nearly 15 million Americans aged 2-19 years are living with obesity, increasing their risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, asthma, sleep apnea, and other diet-related chronic diseases.

“Today, one in five American children are living with heightened risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other diet-related chronic diseases,” Beyer said. “Congress must take bold action to protect the health of our youngest citizens. Our legislation would do just that by empowering families with the tools and information they need to make healthier choices while holding the food and beverage industry accountable for targeting our children with unhealthy products.”

“Since the 1970s, the number of American children and teens who are considered obese has more than tripled, in large part because our country’s food system is increasingly dominated by overly processed, habit-forming foods that lack nutritional value,” Peters said. “This is not an accident. These ‘ultra-processed’ foods are engineered to create a dependency and to be less nutritious. Americans deserve clear information about what they are feeding their families and not to have junk food aggressively advertised to their children. Our bill, the only one in Congress that addresses ultra-processed foods, will create a clear front-of-package labeling requirement for junk foods and prevent these unhealthy foods from being marketed specifically to kids.”

Sens. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) are leading companion legislation in the Senate.