I
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2643
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a biennial report
on nutrition and health by the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 15, 1993
Mr. WYDEN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Energy and Commerce
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for
a biennial report on nutrition and health by the Surgeon
General of the Public Health Service.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Nutrition and Health
Information Act’’.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF REQUIREMENT OF BIENNIAL
REPORT ON NUTRITION AND HEALTH.
Title XVII of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 300u et seq.), as amended by section 302 of Public
Law 102–531 (106 Stat. 3483), is amended by adding at
the end the following section:
‘‘BIENNIAL REPORT REGARDING NUTRITION AND HEALTH
‘‘SEC. 1709. (a) BIENNIAL REPORT.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall require
the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service to
prepare biennial reports on the relationship between
nutrition and health. Such reports may, with respect
to such relationship, include any recommendations of
the Secretary and the Surgeon General regarding
the public health and regarding legislative and ad-
ministrative initiatives.
‘‘(2) CONSULTATIONS WITH DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE.—Recommendations under paragraph
(1) on matters within the jurisdiction of the Depart-
ment of Agriculture may be made only after con-
sultation with the Secretary of Agriculture or the
designee of such Secretary.
‘‘(b) CERTAIN TOPICS.—Each report under sub-
section (a) shall address not less than 1 of the following
topics:
‘‘(1) The role of diet, including nutritional sup-
plements, in the treatment and prevention of dis-
eases, disorders, and other health conditions (includ-
ing disabilities and chronic diseases) in the general
population and in special populations.
‘‘(2) The adequacy of the education that health
care professionals and caregivers receive with respect
to nutrition, including physicians, naturopathic phy-
sicians, nurses, and other health and long-term care
providers (both in institutions and in the home).
‘‘(3) The extent to which nutritional rec-
ommendations of governmental agencies are consist-
ent with each other.
‘‘(4) The sufficiency of public and private re-
search on the relationship of nutrition and health.
‘‘(5)(A) The extent to which the public’s under-
standing of the role of nutrition in health includes
understanding—
‘‘(i) the information that appears on the
labels of food products; and
‘‘(ii) scientific information regarding the
role of nutrition in the prevention and treat-
ment of diseases, disorders, and other health
conditions (including disabilities and chronic
diseases).
‘‘(B) The extent to which the public’s under-
standing of the information described in subpara-
graph (A) influences dietary habits.
‘‘(6) The effect that food-related promotion, ad-
vertising, and marketing have on the understanding
of the public with respect to the relationship of nu-
trition and health.
‘‘(7) The extent to which hunger and malnutri-
tion exist in the United States, including the extent
to which special populations have unmet nutritional
needs.
‘‘(8) The effect that different methods of food
production have on the nutritional value of food.
‘‘(9) The nutritional value associated with foods
prepared or distributed by mechanical vendors, fast
food restaurants, and governmental nutrition pro-
grams.
‘‘(c) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the
term ‘special populations’ means the populations of par-
ticular urban regions and of particular rural regions;
women; children; the elderly; individuals with disabilities,
including but not limited to individuals who require sig-
nificant personal assistance with 2 or more activities of
daily living and individuals with an equivalent level of cog-
nitive impairment; chronically ill individuals; institutional-
ized individuals; racial and ethnic minorities; and low-in-
come individuals.
‘‘(d) SUBMISSION
TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary
shall ensure that, not later than February 1 of 1995 and
of every second year thereafter, a report under subsection