Contact: Shelley Lowenstein info@per-serving.org
PER SERVING URGES PUBLICATIONS TO PRINT NUTRITION FACTS
ON ALL RECIPES
Major Health and Consumer Groups Back New Campaign
Washington, DC, May 14, 2002 – With the
backing of some of the nation's leading health and consumer organizations,
Per Serving today launches its campaign urging newspapers, syndicates,
magazines, food web sites and cookbooks to publish the "per-serving"
food facts for each recipe they print. Last week, Per Serving
sent letters to food editors at many of the nation's top newspapers
and to editors at magazines and web sites that routinely print
recipes asking them to adopt Per Serving's goals.
"Americans with medical issues and others who want to lead
healthier lives, depend on nutritional food facts to make healthy
choices and, in some cases, to survive," said Shelley Lowenstein,
a Maryland mom who founded Per Serving after her 15-year old daughter
was diagnosed with Type 1 (Juvenile) Diabetes. "For Emma,
recipes without nutrition facts are guesswork, and now off limits,"
Lowenstein continued. "We love to cook and try new foods.
Having the food facts on all recipes gives us the information
we need to help our daughter make good choices."
Ten national organizations -- American Association of Diabetes
Educators, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association,
American Obesity Association, American Society for Clinical Nutrition,
Consumer Federation of America, The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis
Network, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, National Black
Women's Health Project, and Shape Up America!– have all
lined up behind Per Serving's initiative. "We are backing
the Per Serving campaign for a simple reason: Americans are entitled
to the information they need to make the right choices for their
own well being," the groups said in a joint statement.
Support for Per Serving also comes from key national health officials.
"Poor nutrition and lack of physical activity are the 2nd
leading cause of preventable death in the United States,"
said U.S. Assistant Surgeon General Susan Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.A.
"Study after study point to the connection between health
and diet. That's why eating smart through informed food choices
is a critical ingredient in the recipe for a healthier future."
Lowenstein applauds the many publications that voluntarily and
routinely print per-serving food facts. "Of the hundred media
outlets we surveyed, about a third are providing readers with
nutrition facts on virtually all recipes. Still, some of America's
leading newspapers, magazines, food web sites, and syndicates
do not print– or inconsistently print– these key food
facts," Lowenstein said. "When they leave out this critical
information, they are just doing half of their job."
Lowenstein said generating accurate nutrition facts takes skill,
judgment and some time, but is not difficult. She noted that registered
dietitians analyze recipes, nutrition labs analyze recipes, and
that a number of easily available computer programs generate accurate
and reliable nutrition facts. "In short, we know from what
many publications are already doing that what we're asking is
not hard to implement. It's just a matter of commitment."
"Publishing a recipe is an endorsement, an invitation to
readers to try it at home, " Lowenstein said. "We believe
that endorsement carries an obligation to provide readers with
a complete and accurate nutritional analysis for each recipe.
In its letters to publications, Per Serving is also looking for
greater consistency in how the nutrition facts are reported. Per
Serving would like to see a standard: a clear and obvious listing
of the number of servings the recipe makes, and an analysis of,
at least, these nutrition facts: calories; protein; carbohydrates;
fat; saturated fat; cholesterol; sodium; and dietary fiber. Having
the actual portion size is a plus.
"Armed with this information, Americans will be in a better
position to manage their health conditions and their lifestyles,"
said Lowenstein. "It's a rare opportunity when such a simple
step can make such a big difference," she concluded.
About PER SERVING: www.per-serving.org
Per Serving's mission is to encourage
food editors for newspapers, syndicates, magazines, food websites,
and cookbooks to analyze all the recipes they publish and include
the "per serving" nutrition facts for each one.
Started by a Mom, to help her daughter better manage her Type
1 (Juvenile) Diabetes, Per Serving believes that consumers have
a right to know the nutritional make up of recipes so they can
make informed choices. Backed by a group of health, nutrition,
and consumer organizations, Per Serving's grassroots efforts will
enlist the support of consumers to ask for these nutrition facts.
