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PRINCIPLES REGARDING FOOD AND NUTRITION

The American Medical Student Association:

1.             RECOGNIZES freedom from hunger as a basic human right;

2.             ENDORSES the Surgeon General’s report, Healthy People 2010 (2003) and the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services “Dietary Guidelines for America ,” and SUPPORTS the following nutritional guidelines as general recommendations for the public in pursuit of health promotion and disease prevention:

a.             reduce consumption of saturated fat, hydrogenated oils and cholesterol, replacing these with an increased proportion of unsaturated fats, especially mono unsaturated fats; (2005)

b.             reduce the intake of sodium salts, of sugar, other caloric sweeteners, caffeine and processed foods; (1995)

c.             to avoid being overweight, consume only as many calories as expended; if overweight, decrease caloric intake and increase energy expenditure; (1995)

d.             increase the consumption of unrefined low glycemic index carbohydrates in an overall plan to decrease the glycemic load of the diet; (2005)

e.             increase the consumption of unsweetened fruits and vegetables to at least five servings a day; (1995)

f.              increase the consumption of fiber and antioxidants;

g.             decrease the consumption of meat and meat products to no more than two to three servings per week, and increase the consumption of vegetable proteins and fish rich in omega fatty acids, unless the health of the individual would be negatively impacted (as with the risk of mercury poisoning in pregnant women) or the health of the species (as with over-fished and threatened populations). (2005)

3.             SUPPORTS federal food safety laws, which prohibit the addition of any carcinogenic coloring, flavoring or texturizing agent to processed food products;

4.             SUPPORTS the promulgation of federal regulations that require the exact quantitative nutritional labeling of calories, protein, fats, sodium and fiber content in all processed foods, food supplements, over-the-counter drugs, and products of national fast food chain restaurants, defined as those restaurants that have at least 20 franchise or chain restaurants and have restaurants in greater than one state. (2003)

5.             In regard to infant nutrition:

a.             STRONGLY SUPPORTS patient education about breast feeding; DISCOURAGES substituting infant formula for human breast milk unless indicated by medical or personal reasons not influenced by promotional methods; (1995)

b.             SUPPORTS the establishment of mandatory nutrient standards and pre-market testing requirements for all infant formulas;

c.             SUPPORTS federal legislation to ensure achievement of such standards by all infant formulas produced and marketed in the United States ;

d.             SUPPORTS the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes adopted by the 34th World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO);

e.             OPPOSES the vote cast by the United States against the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes at the 34th World Health Assembly of the WHO;

f.              URGES all companies manufacturing, distributing, and promoting breast milk substitutes to comply voluntarily with all articles of the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes;

g.             URGES professional medical associations, especially the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, to support the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes, to oppose the U.S. vote against the Code, and to urge industry to voluntarily comply with all articles of the Code.

h.             SUPPORTS a renewed boycott of products manufactured or marketed by Nestle and American Home Products, which will be terminated when the companies’ marketing practices conform to WHO policy. (1990)

i.              URGES the U.S. government to support UNICEF and WHO in their call for health professionals worldwide to implement the measures required to protect, promote and support breast feeding, and to refrain from promoting individual brands of infant formula. (1990)

6.             URGES that Congress and the administration recognize the growing threat of hunger in America and establish fulfillment of basic nutritional needs for all persons as a priority in their health policy goals. (1987)

7.             URGES that the federal, state and local governments enable individuals receiving welfare, families and individuals below the poverty line, those at risk of needing welfare, and the working poor to receive adequate nutrition through:

a.             Providing sufficient funding for assistance programs and increasing the monthly benefits to an adequate level. (1995)

b.             Development of innovative methods such as electronic card systems instead of vouchers or money, to prevent fraud, reduce cost and simplify the process of application and distribution of benefits. (1995)

c.             Expanding school meals to include breakfast and lunch at all schools, considering innovative programs such as privatization. Improving the nutritional value to meet AMSA’s nutrition policy as designated above, for all school meals. (2005)

d.             Modeling the Food Stamp Program after the Women, Infants and Children program (WIC) to provide nutritional counseling for participants. (1995)

e.             Encouraging independence and transition from the system though improvement in employment opportunities and providing benefits on a sliding scale to the working poor. (1995)

8.             URGES that congress establish a comprehensive national nutrition monitoring system that will provide data on nutritional status of the U.S. population at large, and of high-risk groups in particular. (1987)

9.             OPPOSES the irradiation of food as a preservative process until such time as it has been scientifically demonstrated that such processing; (1988)

a.             does not diminish the nutritive properties of the food more than other preservation processes, (1988)

b.             does not lead to harmful effects in the persons who consume such food, and (1988)

c.             does not impose a health or safety threat to workers in processing plants, nor does such processing or production, transportation and storage of the needed radioactive elements and by-products of such processing pose significant risk of polluting the environment. (1988)

10.           SUPPORTS the application of uniform standards for “organically” grown food, requiring that to be labeled organic: (1991)

a.             Products be produced without pesticides, except for a limited number of specified natural or biological substances that are proven to be safe.

b.             Products be produced without synthetic fertilizers.

c.             Crops be grown on soil free of pesticide application for three years and free from synthetic fertilizer application for two years.

d.             Farms use “integrated” soil management and “integrated” pest management practices, which include methods of crops rotating, use of natural predators and organic fertilizers in farming practices.

e.             Food processors use no artificial food additives or ingredients, synthetic materials or irradiation in their products.

11.           SUPPORTS the labeling of all genetically modified foods, in which genes from one species are transferred to another in an effort to increase the expression of ‘desirable’ traits. (2001)

12.           OPPOSES the marketing of foods poor in nutritional value to children in schools and through media outlets, (2006)

13.           ENCOURAGES communities to urge the prevention and termination of such marketing efforts. (2006)

14.           URGES the food and media industries to discontinue this practice and instead use its power to promote healthy food choices. (2006)

15.           SUPPORTS legislative action aimed at decreasing unhealthy food marketing to children. (2006)

16.           SUPPORTS measures that would protect students from exploitation by prohibiting a business from bringing into the school any program that would require students to view advertising of foods poor in nutritional value or to study specific instructional programs as a condition of the school receiving a donation of money or donation or loan of equipment. (2001)

17.           SUPPORTS the use of any revenues from taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages to be used for nutrition education and advertising of healthy foods. (2005)

18.           URGES the phase-out of all non-therapeutic uses of medically important antibiotics in animal agriculture, unless the Food and Drug Administration concludes that continued use of a drug will not contribute to resistance affecting humans. (2005)

19.           URGES the US Government to pursue a policy to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables through various means such as decreasing the price of fruits and vegetables, healthy food stamp programs, and advertisement and awareness campaigns. (2006)

20.           URGES the US Government to pursue a policy to increase access of fruits and vegetables to lower income citizens. (2006)