[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 30 (Wednesday, March 10, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H930]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY IN FOOD CONSUMPTION ACT OF 2003

  (Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 
opposition to H.R. 339, the Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption 
Act of 2003.
  According to a report released yesterday by the CDC, poor diet and a 
lack of physical activity are among the leading causes of death in the 
United States. In fact, obesity is fast approaching to be the number 
one cause of death in our country. Unless our families become 
healthier, the CDC estimates that one in three children, or in the 
Hispanic community, one in two children, will become diabetic.
  This year, California State University at Fullerton is proposing a 
Center for the Prevention of Childhood Obesity, which would work with 
schools and other organizations to arm teachers and parents with the 
tools that they need to prevent obesity in their children.
  It is also heartening to see some food companies such as McDonald's 
and Kellogg making positive changes in the way that they produce food, 
and I would argue that these changes are due in large part to some of 
those lawsuits brought against certain food companies regarding 
nutritional value, content information, or long-term consequences of 
eating high fatty foods.

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