Guest Columns

Perspective:
Dairy Nutrition

Keeping health at the forefront of nutrition policy

Amy DeLisio

Amy DeLisio is CEO of the Dairy Council of California. She is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in public health from the University of Southern California and earned her bachelor’s degree in dietetics at Youngstown State University. She contributes this column exclusively for Cheese Market News®.

Food and nutrition are hot button topics in policy discussions across the country as policymakers grapple with ways to make Americans healthier. Some policies are grounded in science, others less so. As interest in the health and nutrition policy environment grows, there is one undisputable truth: Americans are increasingly unhealthy.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), chronic diseases, mental health challenges, childhood obesity and age-related conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are on the rise. Childhood obesity also rose, especially among boys and children aged 2 to 5. Research from the CDC also shows that stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States and has increased by nearly 8% over the last decade, while diabetes cases rose by 19% between 2012 and 2022.

Federal nutrition assistance programs are a vital source of nutrition security for children and families. Programs like the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, as well as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), provide supplemental access to nutritious foods, including milk, yogurt and cheese.

These programs are especially critical for pregnant women and children, when proper nutrition sets the foundation for healthy growth, brain development and lifelong wellness.

• Navigating shifting nutrition policies

The food and nutrition policy landscape is changing fast with new leadership and policies at the federal and state levels that could impact the health of Americans.

Recently, the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission released the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy, which includes more than 120 proposed initiatives designed to address the root causes of America’s health crisis with an emphasis on chronic diseases, while promoting healthier foods and healthier lifestyles.

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) policies are being introduced at both state and national levels, ranging from creating a uniform definition for UPFs to eliminating UPFs from the school lunch line. Current classifications of UPFs often emphasize processing level over nutritional content. This approach can be misleading, especially for individuals managing tight food budgets. People choose foods that may be classified as ultra-processed for many reasons such as affordability, convenience, shelf life, ease of preparation, food safety and even nutrient optimization. While some UPFs are linked to poor health outcomes, others such as yogurt or whole-grain cereals actually have neutral or beneficial health effects.

Additionally, due to recent policy changes, millions of families will lose access to nutrition assistance benefits.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) nutrition education and obesity prevention grant, which provides free nutrition education resources and programs in underserved communities, has been eliminated. This creates gaps in access to credible nutrition information and programs that increase cooking, shopping on a budget and gardening skills. This loss will impact funding to schools, cooperative extension offices and local health departments that implement nutrition education programs and support healthy food environments. Plus, new SNAP rules may put more families at risk of being food insecure, with an estimated 5 million families set to receive less food benefits each month

• Opportunity amid change

At the same time, the connection between food and health is gaining renewed attention. “Food as Medicine” or “Food for Health” movements that link diet to prevention, treatment and management of disease are increasingly viewed as a promising public health solution to improve nutrition security and reduce chronic disease in under-resourced communities. Those most affected by nutrition insecurity include people living in poor and marginalized communities, people with increased nutrient requirements such as pregnant women, children and older adults, and those who have limited access to dietary choices.

Another promising initiative, MAHA Food Boxes, aims to deliver fresh, locally sourced foods directly from farmers to low-income seniors. This approach not only increases access to whole foods like fruits and vegetables but also opens the door to incorporating fermented dairy products such as cheese and yogurt.

Similarly, MAHA’s advocacy for healthy school campaigns, particularly those embracing a farm-to-school theme, offers a powerful opportunity to foster lifelong healthy eating habits. By strengthening connections between schools and local farms, it creates a compelling platform to share dairy’s nutrition and agriculture literacy story.

Collaboration is another essential piece of the puzzle. Public and private partnerships can play an increasingly important role in closing gaps seen in recent federal nutrition program cuts, ensuring continued access to nutrition education and healthy food programs. Advocacy for expanding nutrition education and healthy food access is critical, empowering families and communities with the knowledge and resources to make informed dietary choices and gain new skills.

It’s vital that all policies and programs are grounded in credible science, and through this lens, dairy has a strong story to tell. Research continues to showcase dairy foods’ myriad benefits, including the unique package of essential nutrients that provide multiple health benefits such as optimal growth and development in children and reduced risk of developing chronic diseases for adults. Also, the affordability of dairy is key during a time when food costs are increasing and food benefits are decreasing.

Additionally, fermented dairy foods such as yogurt, kefir and many cheeses are gaining attention for their positive impact on health. Studies show that eating fermented foods that include probiotics may improve gut health, which is linked to overall health and wellness.

By staying engaged, the dairy community can help ensure science-based solutions and health are the basis for nutrition policy. Working together, we can advocate for the important role of dairy foods as part of sustainable, healthy eating patterns and how they fit into making Americans healthier.

Dairy Council of California engages in education and advocacy at all levels to shift knowledge, values and actions for greater impact. Visit DairyCouncilofCA.org to learn more.

CMN

The views expressed by CMN’s guest columnists are their own opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of Cheese Market News®.

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