What steps led to the formation of FDAs Obesity Working Group?
In support of the President’s HealthierUS initiative, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) established a complementary initiative, Steps to a HealthierUS, which emphasizes personal responsibility for the choices Americans make for healthy behaviors. One aspect of this initiative focuses on reducing the major health burden created by obesity and other chronic diseases. Following DHHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson’s July 2003 Roundtable on Obesity and Nutrition, Dr. Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs, established an Obesity Working Group (OWG) to prepare a report that outlines an action plan to cover critical dimensions of the obesity problem from FDA’s perspective and authorities. • Q: Why is FDA concerned about obesity? A: As a public health agency with responsibility for regulating the labeling of most packaged foods, FDA is addressing the pervasive public health problem of obesity in the United States. Since the late 1980s, adult obesity has st
