[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 22 (Monday, June 5, 2000)]
[Pages 1241-1242]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Videotape Remarks to the National Nutrition Summit

May 26, 2000

    I'm delighted to welcome you to the 2000 National Nutrition Summit 
and to thank you for promoting the need for good nutrition, physical 
activity, and a healthy lifestyle in preventing diet-related diseases. I 
also want to thank Secretary Shalala and Secretary Glickman for their 
work on this summit. And I want to recognize Ambassador McGovern and 
Senator Dole, two of the leaders who played a pioneering role in the 
first White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health, back in 
1969.
    At that time, malnutrition, hunger, and obesity were too often an 
accepted part of our society, and we didn't have the right resources in 
place to address them. Our foods weren't labeled with nutritional 
information. Our national school lunch program wasn't administered 
properly, and we didn't even have the means to measure the levels of 
hunger and malnutrition in our own country. The 1969 White House 
Conference changed all that by encouraging the Federal Government to 
expand and strengthen its programs to reduce hunger and promote good 
nutrition.
    As President Nixon said then, the moment is at hand to put an end to 
hunger. Today, more than 30 years later, we have made great strides in 
understanding and promoting the link between nutrition and personal 
health. Our national investment in nutrition assistance has increased 
more than thirtyfold since the first conference.
    In 1999 alone, we delivered more than $33 billion in nutrition 
assistance to our children and our hardest pressed families. Thanks in 
large part to your efforts, these programs play a key role in promoting 
the health of our entire Nation. The Women, Infants, and Children's 
program has given millions of young families, more than 7 million 
Americans, both the wise advise and the nutritious foods they need to 
grow healthy and strong. Children enrolled in WIC programs are immunized 
earlier, perform better in school, and spend less time in the doctor's 
office.
    Our national school lunch program now provides nutritious lunches to 
more than 26 million children in 95,000 schools across our land. Our 
food stamp program brings nourishment to millions of Americans every 
day, and our improved and expanded Head Start program reaches even 
younger children and more families than ever.
    But while we've come a long way in promoting good nutrition and 
health, too many Americans still are malnourished, without food, or 
living unhealthy lifestyles. Nearly 55 percent of our population is 
overweight or obese, including one in five children. And today, four of 
the leading causes of death in the United States are nutrition-related. 
That's why we must continue to help more Americans live healthier lives.
    For 7 years now, our administration has tried to do that, with 
substantial increases in funding for WIC, Head Start, and child 
nutrition programs. This year our budget builds on that progress.
    I want to thank all of you for leading the way to a healthier 
America. If we keep working together, we can ensure that in the 21st 
century, our people and our Nation are in the best shape ever.

Note: The President's remarks were videotaped at approximately 5:30 p.m. 
on May 11 in the Map Room for later broadcast. The transcript was 
released by the Office of the Press Secretary on May 26. In his remarks, 
he referred to Ambassador George McGovern, U.S. Representative, U.N. 
Agencies for Food and Agriculture; and former Senator Bob Dole. This 
item was not received in time for publication in the appropriate issue. 
A tape was not available for verification of the content of these 
remarks.

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