it as concise as possible. but if you want to know what we're focused on internally at fda not only on the substantive work we're doing, but it's addressing priorities and all other areas. it's will give you a sense of what we're focused on and how we're going about it. one thing you'll see in this document is that it's not limited to the substantive work that we do. it is addressing how we manage. i just want to touch on this aspect of what we're doing so you can get a sense of how we're grappling with the agenda that we've got and the magnitude of the work that we're doing. you'll see in this strategic plan that a central theme of how we're going to manage internally is to develop the capacity for true data-driven, risk-based priority setting and resource allocation. that's become a buzz word.

we also expressed it and find ourselves looking for maximizing public health bang for the buck. that's what it's all about. this is just good policy in general, but it's really essential, we think, in today's budget climate. we have to be able to assure ourselves and others that we're making best use of ourselves and resources. i want to assure everyone here on what risk-based allocation is not. it's not a way to somehow overlook or not address hazards and risks that don't show up on some top ten list of public health hazards. it really addresses that issue at a foundational way. fizz ma says every agency is responsible for their facility, whether the hazard is one that's on a top ten priority list or not. that's the foundational protection and prevention of

framework that fizma gives us and creates as the foundation for the system. what we're talking about is how we can optimally use our resources and allocate our efforts within that framework to get maximum public health advantage. how do we deploy our research efforts? our inspection activities? what initiate i haves should we prioritize to go after the top ten list, the major threats to public health. and we think that a more systematic approach to risk-based priority setting and resource allocation will enable us to do that. this is something that fda has been working on for some time. fizma mandate it is. if you haven't read section 110 of the food safety and modernization act, you really should. it mandates fda to issue a

report to congress touching on a lot of subjects including what do we need in terms of capacity and authorities to do our public health job. but it directs us to report every two years on our methods to ensure that resources are directed at those actions most likely to reduce risks from food. that includes a mandate. it's an odd way of -- i didn't write this part. i just want to show you this. it's not my language. but in that report provision of the law, to promptly undertake those actions identified as likely to contribute to the safety and security of the food supply. i emphasize this language in the law because we're now mandated to take a public health prevention approach and to prioritize our actions and take actions to reduce food-born illness. we like the mandate. carol will ensure we implement that properly. but we take this seriously. it's a major focus of effort at

fda. ly mention one other document for further homework for those interested. you -- many of you are probably aware of the report issued in 2010 entitled "enhancing food safety." i would encourage you to read that document. the last thing i'll say about this whole effort, just to demonstrate our commitment to it, is we have created a new position and eventually there will be an office of resource planning and strategic management. and this is going to be the focal point for the foods program, the veterinary medicine program broadly. this is where we'll do the risk analytics. data integration to do priority setting. this is where we'll do the planning of resources, budget formulation, and we'll have strategic capacity to institutionalize the capacity to work in this new way. so i go through all of this just

to recognize that there's a big picture here that these rules are part of. it involves a lot of system building, both within our agency and in the food system we regulate. it's a long-term enterprise to put this system in place. and it's one that's going to take a sustained effort. i'm not going to make this a resources pitch speech, but for all the work i think we can do to make the best use of the resources we've got, we need additional resources to do this. the president's budget lays out the areas in which we need resources to carry forward implementation of the food safety modernization act in an effective and timely waeway. it's going to take a lot of effort by a lot of folks to do that. so i'm going to end on that note. i just want to emphasize how enthused we are about moving forward on this law, building new system, and doing it in partnership with this community.

we can't succeed in isolation. i know we can succeed in working with this group. i'm excited about the prospect of the years ahead. thanks very much. i will take some questions. >> we have time for one or two questions. >> but i have answered the one question, just so you know. >>. tony from food and water watch. i want to apologize to carol for being late to listen to her introduction. >> it was an excellent introduction. >> the redline had another hiccup this morning. but i have to confess that i did tell carol yesterday that day not think that the rules were coming out within the next few days because i saw you at national park wednesday night in your cargo shorts. the question i have is the congress ratified a number of

free trade agreements recently. and this morning i see in the federal register already moving ahead to approve a process for imported produce from colombia. celery, arugula, and spinach. and i've always been fascinated by the lack of coordination between afis and fda. afis will take care of the bug issue, and you folks are saddled with the food safety implications. can you elaborate in terms of what the coordination effort is between usda and fda on imports? and next question, are you going to be in nationals park tonight? >> in spirit, i will be there tonight in spirit. i'm still debating actually. i may go spontaneously. as you know, tony, afis has its

own responsibilities to protect american agriculture from pests that can come into the country. they have systems set up to do that. and we have the food safety responsibili responsibility. we e do coordinate at the border. we coordinate at a head quarters level. the missions are distinct enough so it's not a day-to-day operational interaction, but there's information sharing and coordination. i think -- you know, i think there will be issues as we implement our new law how we make the pieces fit together even better. if you have ideas about how it should be done differently or better, please fire away. but i think, again, we have a complex food system and a complex set of regulatory institutions overseas with congress having its wisdom laid out, a structure that is what it

is. but i would say just broadly, and carol can add her own perspective, as wonderful ly as we worked together in the '70s, i don't think ever has there been as much interaction between fda and usda on multiple fronts as there is today. not that there's not room for improvement, but we welcome suggestions. >> one more question. >> from csbi. you mentioned there's these new mandated reports for accountability coming out every two years, which in theory, obviously sounds great but not just within the fda but many government organizations there's mandated reports and accountability that sits on desks and falls through the cracks. are there new systems in place? i mean, how are you planning on ensuring that these new levels

of accountability and these mandated reports are actually going to be followed through and that it's not just going to be the same old story? >> yeah. well, that's my job. it's a question of priorities. and we have articulated here a bit my priorities and our strategic plan. and then it's an external accountability function. that's why i emphasize that. public agencies get pulled in a lot of directions. a lot of forces influence what we do day-to-day. you know, you need to hold us accountable for it. i can only express my commitment and expect you to hold us accountable. but it's focusing on what's the most important things. and i think building this system and building it to be much more data driven about deploying our resources is a central responsibility. it's essentially why my job was created. so i'm all in. >> please join me in thanking mike taylor.

[ applause ] the consumer federation of america's annual food policy conference continues with a second panel on combatting obesity and improved nutrition standards for schools. this is about an hour. >> good morning. thank you, again, for being here at the food policy conference. we're moving on to our last session. we have a terrific panel lined up to talk to you about some really key issues on the nutrition obesity front and administrative efforts on that and kind of give us an update of

where things are and where we're headed. to begin the panel, i'd like to introduce sally squires. she's going to be moderating this panel and introducing our speakers. so sally? >> good morning. and i hope you're all enjoying this conference as much as i have. we were talking a little bit before this and just saying that this is kind of our, for those of us in the nutrition world and food world, this is our conference. there are a lot of conferences that occur, but it's really a pleasure to be here and see so many people. so thanks so much. and we have a terrific line up this morning. in 2009 kevin kun cannon was nominated by president obama and

c confirmed by the u.s. senate to serve as undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services at the usda. fncs has the principle responsibilities and funding authority for the food and nutrition service, which feeds one in four americans. it also has responsibilities for promoting healthful diets through policy and promotion, which i'm sure everybody in this room knows, is responsible with hhs for the dietary guidelines. our second speaker is dr. william dooets, he's the director of the division of nutrition, physical activity, and obesity at the centers for disease control and prevention in atlanta. prior to his appointment to the cdc, he was a professor of pediatrics at the toughs university school of medicine and at the floating hospital of

new england medical center, i'm sorry, the floating hospital of new england medical centers hospitals. and for those of you who have been watching either weight of the nation last week or having watching hbo, you know he's played an important role in all of that. so without further adieu, i'd like to introduce kevin cokun cannon. thank you. >> thank you very much, sally. i think i'll stand up. i can see folks over this way more readily. it's a pleasure for me to be here with all of you at this conference, both also an added feature to be here with sally and bill dooetsz again. we were together a week or so ago at weight of the nation here in d.c. as well. i'm particularly pleased to have the opportunity to share with you some of the very the midst

of at the food nutrition service, particularly starting with a focus on the healthy hunger for kids act of 2010. passed just a little more than a year ago, this legislation has provided us with an abundance of new tools to help create healthy lives for our nation's children. we know nutritious food is critical to feeding the minds of hungry children and the importance of our efforts was further highlighted again this month with the release of the institute of medicine report that said that schools are key to fighting obesity in our country. i'm mindful as well of a kork ran systematic review that was done about a year ago finding in other parts of the world that school nutrition programs have many beneficial effects in this space. well the healthy hunger for kids act which was championed by

michelle obama has one of its primary areas of focus, the transformation of the total school food environment in order to promote better nutrition and to reduce obesity. this law enabled us to make major improvements to school meals. the first major changes in about 15 years. in january of this year, just one year after the law was passed, record time for federal regulatory processes, if you're familiar with them, we issued the final updated standards for school meals. and those standards ensure that students are offered both fruits and vegetables every day of the week. that's a first. it increases the offerings of whole grain-rich foods, limits the calories based on the age of children. this is a first. strikingly, in the past, the

school nutrition requirements had minimum calories, no maximum calories. now starting with this july across the country based on age, minimums and maximums. it also increases the focus on reducing the amounts of saturated fats, added sugars and sodium. the standards go into effect in july, but many schools are well on their way. i was in several in north carolina just this past week. usda is fully committed to providing all the assistance we can to help the 101,000 american schools, public and private, that participate in the national school lunch program. we're committed to provide that kind of assistance to help them to get from where they are today to where they all need to be. the changes in the school it -- in the standards for the school breakfast program, there are 12

million students that have breakfast at school each day, those changes will be phased in over three years to make it easier for schools to comply. but the act also strengthened local wellness policies. as i travel the country, i try to meet with state health directors, typically physicians or people trained in public health, to emphasize for them the opportunity they have as public health authorities or health directors to reenforce and to support the effort in schools to promote health. just a week or so ago, we published what many schools have been awaiting the six cent rule. meaning for the first time starting in october of next year, schools will be reimbursed an additional 6 cents per meal over and above the reimbursement rates that have been adjusted for inflation as long as they meet the new meal standards. they are intended to be

incentives, and these are the first increases in 30 years in the school lunch program. but a topic that i'm sure many people in your colleagues in this room are interested in are so-called competitive foods. those foods that compete with the standard fair offered in the national school lunch program. we're working on those equally important rule gave us the authority to set standards for all of the foods sold in schools during the school day. including those that are not part of a federally-reimbursed meal. i know you're especially interested in this. we're actively working on that right now, and i hope to have the preliminary rule out within the next two weeks or so. some states in many local communities have already lead the way in establishing these policies. requiring all foods and beverages served at the school

during the school day that will help promote public health and fight obesity. schools are extremely influential in this environment. we know from research done by the others that school-based interactions can have a positive impact on improving children's dietses. community eligibility. we want to make sure that children across the country, in fact, have access to the school meals program, particularly so during the period of extended challenges we've been living through in the jobs environment, and i was pleased to learn when i was in carolina last week meeting with the top state officials that north carolina as a state each day, runs data in the evening to make sure that a child whose household -- that household income changes, that child is immediately eligible for free or reduced priced

meals. what we're referring to as direct certification. one of the priorities in the healthy hunger free kids act. a way to make sure that children have access to affordably to meals, and carolina -- north carolina i think i should say is leading the nation doing that daily. we are also making and making changes in the wic program, the women, infants, and children programs. targeted at pregnant women, lactating moms, young infants, children up to age five. that program, the wic program serbs 53% of all the infants in the united states the first year of life. and so it has a huge preventive health role, and that program we made changes in the so-called food package a year ago last october. they have been successfully

implemented across the country. about 65,000 wic stores, so-called, across the country. required to have more depth of stock as we described it in terms of healthy foods. and that has been successfully implemented each month, about 9 million american moms and their children participate in the wic program that new food package was based on recommendations that were made to us by the institute of medicine. well, that same institute of medicine has made recommendations to us to improve the nutrition standards for food served in child care centers through the child and adult feeding program. we're anxious to move forward with that. each day 3.3 million children attend child care, served in child care, either before or after or during the school hours based on age and we know this is

a very vulnerable group of children in terms of the need to make sure they have sustained access to healthy foods. just as we did as i mentioned earlier in the wic program, we commissioned the iom to help us with that. another aspect of the healthy hunger free kids act redirectses us in the snap or support he will mental nutritional food act or food stakts. we put an additional focus on obesity prevention. and we've been working closely with partners, this is where bill dietz and his colleagues at cdv have been an invaluable resource to us, to help us review standards, provide

counscoun counsel and advice and we are the source of my plate. the icon, just about a year old. released a year ago, the first week in june, that anniversary is coming up and i'm pleased to see it's gone viral across the country. say tu i saw it in several of the schools i visited just last week in north carolina. we are looking to do even more on that front as a way of, again, reminding americans, enjoy your food, eat less, make half your plates fruits and vegetables, look for an alternative. don't drink so much fruit and sweetened beverages. they are basic messages that can make an addition over time this past week, be announced the availability of $4 million in grant to expand the use of ebt

or electronic benefit, ebt cards for farmer's markets across the country. part of an effort, an an ahead o have more access to healthier food. i want to make reference to the food, farm and forestry bill. the so-called farm bill that is looming, i hope it's going to take place this year. we are particularly interested and a strong advocate of a senate version of that bill for a number of reasons. one, it doesn't have to make the cuts that the house proposes, in the snap or nutrition programs, but i am particularly attracted to an element that is very much part of that senate ag proposal for the farm bill that would give us authority to require

local stores that participate in the snap or food stamp program to increase their depth of stock. another way of describing those stores would be required to have more fruits and vegetables, more healthier foods and more of them. the reason i am very attracted to that, more than 230,000 stores across the country that participate in the program. snap is an $80 billion program. a major part of the business line for these stores, and i think these are tax dollars going into those stores, and we have the right to say if we are going to participate happily so, and we want to make sure that you are enabling low-income persons who avail themselves of that benefit to have more access to a healthier array of food. so we're watching that very carefully. summer food, we're entering into

the period of the year where an american child is more likely to face food security or hunger than any other time of year. how so, why so? schools will be out shortly and we have a summer food service program that we are promoting this time of year, we have about 3 million american kids, who participate in that program, and we're also promoting again the most nutritious for those summer food service program, to make sure they are providing access to nutritious foods. the my plate, about one year old, and we spend about $1 billion in the food and nutrition service, and $1 billion. and our flagship effort in that regard are the dietary guidelines for all americans. we issue those jointly with the department of health and human services, and we alternate every every five years, which federal agency takes the lead.

we took the lead in 2010 and shifts over to our colleagues at hhs, but we work very closely with them, and i do want to mention that dr. howard koe, the assistant secretary of health, he oversees that ultimately in the upper level of hhs with his colleagues at cdc and nih and out at hersa, but we are -- we have a gap in the dietary guidelines in that they currently provide advice to americans from people age two through the life span and we're both committed, both federal agencies to win the 2015 versions to have available shortly thereafter recommendations for infants from birth through age 2. to address a gap that currently exists. so those dietary guidelines, we

address obesity in very, very different ways. i've mentioned some of the advice that our characterized by that -- by the my plate. we also have supertracker, almost 700,000 americans who are registered with our super tracker, which can give you advice on you can punch in what are you eating, the kind of enter size you are having and it will give you direct information we think can be very, very happiful to people. we have been encouraging partnerships with health groups, corporate groups and others on the my plate, as a way of institution institutionalizing it as it were. and finally i want to say that we -- every so many years, the center for nutrition, policy and promotion, issues something called a healthy eating index. and very mindful of this,