Barbara Ferrer talks dietary guidelines and children’s access to water in Altarum Institute column

Any day now, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture will publish the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines aren’t simply suggestions for a healthier lifestyle – they are an important rubric for federal food and nutrition policies, and influence what’s served in schools and childcare facilities.

In a new column for the Altarum Institute, Barbara Ferrer, chief strategy officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, explains how the new guidelines are an opportunity to reset the table for all children’s health.

“Food is a matter of health equity,” says Ferrer. She goes on to talk about the importance of adopting the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s (DGAC) recommendation to promote water as the preferred beverage choice and improve access to safe, drinking water in schools and childcare facilities.

Ferrer also expresses disappointment in Secretary Tom Vilsack’s and Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell’s recent announcement not to include the DGAC’s recommendations on sustainable food production.

“Sustainability issues are every bit as relevant to dietary guidance as physical activity or food security,” says Ferrer.

For more, read Ferrer’s Altarum column, and share via social media with friends and colleagues.