In a new essay for the Wall Street Journal, Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, and Dr. Tom Farley, discuss what the incoming U.S. administration can do to change American diets for the better.
Unhealthy foods now compete with smoking for the title of leading underlying killer in the U.S. and in many countries, contributing to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. More than one billion people worldwide are living with high blood pressure, 2.5 billion are overweight or living with obesity, and over 460 million have type 2 diabetes.
Despite obstacles, there is potential for progress. Governments around the world have adopted policies to improve nutrition, including taxing soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages, requiring front-of-package warning labels, encouraging healthy public food procurement, and banning trans fat.
To support researchers, policymakers and governments worldwide committed to saving lives through healthier nutrition, Resolve to Save Lives hosts a Global Nutrition Database for transparency and accountability around the levels of sodium, sugar, and saturated fat in packaged food.
Read “We Battled Big Food. Can RFK, Jr. Succeed Where We Failed?” in the Wall Street Journal.