Chances are you are home reading this column. Who is not at home these days awaiting word from President Trump and state governors so we can get back to some normalcy? At presstime, U.S. Senators, but not House members, were back in Washington working on pandemic economic recovery issues as that is obviously their main concerns these days. Many other bills and hearings will remain on hold until remote voting or virtual hearing plans can be worked out on the House side of the aisle. The latest information I have read says that the coronavirus will not peak in Washington till mid-June. So, while there is not much happening in legislative and regulatory circles other than coronavirus issues, there are a few public affairs matters being bantered about these days of which some are related to COVID-19 and others not. Following is my current update for your home reading pleasure.
Diet-Related Disease
Most Americans are overweight. That is a fact and not fake news. Politico published an interesting story recently about obesity that stated that a 16-member working task force of medical professionals, nutritionists and food policy wonks had unveiled a sweeping set of new recommendations for combating obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other related health problems linked to diet. Interesting enough, the task force’s recommendations are being published 50 years after the anniversary of the White House Conference on Food, Nutrition and Health which was organized by the Nixon administration to combat hunger and improve eating habits and diets of Americans.
Today the challenges continue with reported significant increases in hunger in the U.S. and rises in the consumption of unhealthy foods being consumed today, both brought about by the coronavirus. The task force’s 60 recommendations touch on how to change federal feeding programs, including: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Women- Infant and Children Program (WIC); aligning agricultural production with sustainability goals; integrating nutrition into health care settings; and creating healthy food environments, such as shielding children from harmful advertising and incentivizing employers to offer wellness programs and provide healthier foods and beverages.
The retail food industry can play an important part in creating healthier diets through its marketing prowess. The multitude of advertising and marketing messages aimed at consumers today can help shape purchasing habits and the opportunities are numerous for retailers to become an integral part of the educational efforts needed to re-shape the eating habits of adults and children. Think about it!
Best Practices On Safe Food Handling And Staff Health
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued information and best practices for retail food stores and pick-up and delivery services during the pandemic in order to protect workers and customers. Whether you think you know all there is to know or not, it is advisable to review FDA’s latest information as best practices do change frequently.
The first item FDA now has available for you is its new factsheet entitled “Best Practices for Retail Food Stores, Restaurants, and Food Pick-Up and Delivery Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” This information addresses key considerations for how foods offered at retail can be prepared safely and then delivered to the public, as well as key best practices for employee health and personal hygiene, cleaning, and sanitizing. Next is the companion to the factsheet – a summary infographic that offers at-a-glance additional information on how to “Be Healthy; Be Clean; Clean & Disinfect; Social Distancing and Pick-Up & Delivery.” Go to www.fda.org to obtain both items.
Dietary Guidelines Lobbying
Politico’s Morning Agriculture reports that the writing of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans continues to be a free-for-all between various nutrition and dietary interests. Groups now representing low-carb, low-fat and paleo diets, among others, have competed for the advisory committee’s attention and support. Now a new group, the Food4Health Alliance, has entered the fray. The alliance, consisting of groups likes the NAACP, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the National Hispanic Medical Association, has come together to lobby for guidelines that address the conditions that disproportionately affect minorities and other underserved groups. We anticipate a preliminary report from the Dietary Guidelines Task Force in mid-June. The preliminary report will be huge news and will be closely scrutinized by government interests, food industry associations and consumer groups, and food manufacturers, among others.
Trump’s SNAP Changes Undercut By COVID-19
Before the pandemic hit, I wrote several columns to inform you about many of the proposed cuts to SNAP that were championed by President Trump. His goal was to dump millions of needy SNAP recipients from the rolls in the name of efficiency. His planned actions have been stopped in their tracks as states, cities and towns across the U.S. handle a huge increase in new SNAP applications from Americans who find themselves out of work.
So, what will happen when the pandemic is over? USDA, the department that oversees the SNAP program, suggested it would adhere to the original timelines outlined for this year, but the department stressed that its top priority is to make sure those in need receive assistance. Still, House and Senate democrats are urging restraint as are organizations such as food banks across the country. In the meantime, pilot programs to allow SNAP recipients access benefits online to purchase groceries are being rapidly expanded and companies like Amazon and Walmart are now accepting SNAP benefits for food deliveries. We anticipate that these programs will increase during the pandemic. “For those who rely on SNAP, though, this will still not work unless USDA opens up SNAP online sales as an option to as many businesses as possible, including farm businesses,” said Wes King, senior policy specialist at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
It is thus easy for us laymen to think that setting up SNAP benefits to online users would be an easy task. However, Politico highlighted the difficulties of the situation by stating that using SNAP benefits online comes with some technical hurdles, as the initial test run in just a few states proved. But it also could go a long way toward making it easier for the 42 million Americans who rely on food stamps to shop. Lawmakers and anti-hunger advocates have asked USDA to rapidly expand the program and relax restrictions surrounding e-commerce options for SNAP users. Currently there are 17 states providing online use of SNAP benefits. Advocates for SNAP initiatives have raised concerns, especially during the coronavirus crisis, that SNAP recipients should not have to buy their groceries at stores during the pandemic as they risk being infected. Stay tuned for more online SNAP changes and announcements to come. We think more and more states will soon get fast track approval to operate their SNAP programs online.
The Future Of Meat, Seafood, Dairy And Produce Supply Chains Threatened
Last month a number of newspaper stories appeared in print publications and in the electronic media about disruptions in the beef, pork, seafood, chicken, dairy and produce supply chains caused by the impact of the pandemic. Aside from the mega Smithfield Foods closing of its Sioux Falls, SD pork processing plant, several other meat and poultry processing plants around the country also closed temporarily including some owned by Tysons, Cargill and National Beef Packing. KraftHeinz and Conagra also closed several plants. Then the White House stepped in on April 28 via an executive order that placed many of the closed plants under the Defense Production Act to prevent shortages by keeping processing plants open.
Clearly the White House recognized that disruptions in the food supply chains because of the pandemic could worsen hunger, malnutrition, and other global problems for months to come, depending on how governments and businesses responded to the challenges. The Center for Strategic and International Studies hosted a webcast discussion recently with agriculture experts who warned that potential food shortages or price spikes could, for example, drive consumers to switch to cheaper, less nutritious foods. “Ultimately the result of that is going to be an increase in nutrient deficiency,” said Dana Bolden, chief sustainability officer at Corteva Agriscience. “It’s important that money gets to the people who need it most so we don’t see a change in dietary behaviors or patterns that could result in more longer-term impacts.”
The waning days of April also brought with them new coronavirus guidelines for meatpackers from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and from CDC after meat processors faced a lot of criticism for failing to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks in their plants. According to a recent Washington Post story, some of the largest meatpackers told their employees to keep working even though some of the employees were ill. Not so, said the chairman of Tyson Foods, John Tyson. He signed a full page ad in the Washington Post and the New York Times defending the company and arguing that the nation’s food supply chain was vulnerable. The new OSHA and CDC guidelines are optional, but it is still highly advisable for you to review the guidelines. At presstime, many media outlets were reporting of possible out-of-stocks of beef, pork and chicken at retail food stores and this can only exacerbate the problem as shoppers stock up their home freezers despite the fact that several food chains were limiting purchases of beef and poultry products. Sounds like another TP problem brewing.
Barry Scher is associated with the public policy firm of Policy Solutions LLC and may be reached at [email protected].