[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4284 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4284

  To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to review the 
   relationship between calcium intake, bone mass, and osteoporosis, 
   determine how many Americans consume too little calcium, develop 
 optimal calcium intake levels, and amend, as appropriate and based on 
 such review, the standard of identity for enriched flour used in the 
   manufacture of bread, cereal, and other grain products under the 
    Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the addition of 
                                calcium.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 21, 1994

   Mr. Markey (for himself, Mr. Bonior, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Parker, Mr. 
 Richardson, Mrs. Lloyd, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. Moakley, Mr. 
 Manton, Mr. Reynolds, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Towns, 
Mr. McDermott, Mr. Lehman, Mr. Kreidler, Mr. Slattery, Mr. Wyden, Mrs. 
 Unsoeld, Ms. Brown of Florida, Mr. King, Mr. Gene Green of Texas, Mr. 
    Wynn, Mr. Dellums, Ms. Slaughter, Mr. Walsh, and Mr. Foglietta) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to review the 
   relationship between calcium intake, bone mass, and osteoporosis, 
   determine how many Americans consume too little calcium, develop 
 optimal calcium intake levels, and amend, as appropriate and based on 
 such review, the standard of identity for enriched flour used in the 
   manufacture of bread, cereal, and other grain products under the 
    Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the addition of 
                                calcium.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Osteoporosis Risk Reduction Act of 
1994''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) Twenty-five million Americans, most of whom are women, 
        suffer from osteoporosis, a reduction of bone mineral density 
        to a level at or below the fracture threshold,
            (2) osteoporosis affects as many as 50 percent of women 
        over the age of 45 and 90 percent of women over the age of 75,
            (3) osteoporosis causes 1.5 million bone fractures every 
        year and is estimated to cost the nation's health and long-term 
        care systems more than $10 billion annually,
            (4) only 25 to 50 percent of hip fracture patients can 
        expect to regain their previous level of mobility and 
        independence and as many as one of every five people will die 
        within one year of fracturing a hip,
            (5) the level of dietary calcium intake, particularly 
        during childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood, is related 
        to the amount of bone mineral density achieved by individuals,
            (6) many Americans, particularly adolescent girls and young 
        women, fail to consume an adequate amount of calcium through 
        their daily diets, and
            (7) the risk of osteoporosis can be reduced through 
        adequate calcium consumption.

SEC. 3. REVIEW OF DATA AND DEVELOPMENT OF RECOMMENDATION.

    The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall direct the food 
advisory committee to the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to--
            (1) review the available data regarding the relationship 
        between dietary calcium intake, bone mineral density, and onset 
        of osteoporosis,
            (2) determine whether the recommended daily allowances 
        (RDA) for calcium established by the National Academy of 
        Science appropriately reflect the relationship described in 
        paragraph (1) and what proportion of children, adolescent males 
        and females, and adult men and women currently achieve the 
        calcium RDA,
            (3) develop optimum levels of daily calcium intake to 
        reduce the risk of osteoporosis for children, adolescent males 
        and females, and adult men and women, and
            (4) develop, as appropriate and based on the findings under 
        paragraphs (1), (2), and (3), a recommendation to the Secretary 
        of Health and Human Services for an amendment to the standard 
        of identity for enriched flour under section 401 of the Federal 
        Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act for the fortification of bread, 
        cereal, and other grain products with calcium in an amount 
        sufficient to effectively assist individuals in achieving the 
        optimal intake levels described in paragraph (3).
The advisory committee shall report its findings and recommendation to 
the Secretary within 180 days of the date of the enactment of this Act. 
In developing its recommendation, the advisory committee shall take 
into consideration the issue of bioavailability and the potential for 
interaction between minerals.

SEC. 4. SECRETARIAL ACTION.

    (a) Review of Recommendation and Development of Amendment.--The 
Secretary of Health and Human Services shall review the findings and 
recommendation of the advisory committee under section 3 and shall, as 
appropriate and based on the findings and recommendation, develop a 
proposed amendment to the identity standard for enriched flour under 
section 401 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act which will 
provide for the fortification of bread, cereal, and other grain 
products with calcium at a level that will assist individuals in 
achieving an adequate intake of calcium and reduce the risk of 
osteoporosis.
    (b) Report to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall report to the Congress 
the findings and recommendation of the advisory committee under section 
3 and the Secretary's proposed amendment to the standard of identity 
for enriched flour used in the manufacture of bread, cereal, and other 
grain products described in subsection (a).
    (c) Schedule.--The Secretary shall take such action as may be 
appropriate to expedite the consideration and promulgation of the 
amendment to the identity standard for enriched flour described in 
subsection (a).

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