Thank You for Helping Remove Trans Fats from DE's Schools!

Thanks to your phone calls, emails and visits with lawmakers, the DE Senate passed House Bill 3 yesterday! HB 3, which was passed a few months ago in the House, will remove industrially produced trans fats from DE schools.

Please take a moment to send a quick thank you email to your senator for voting in favor of HB 3!

Trans fats are found in some fried foods and baked goods, have been found to significantly lower HDL (good) cholesterol and significantly increase LDL (bad) cholesterol, make arteries more rigid, cause major clogging of arteries, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cause or contribute to other serious health problems.

Please take a moment to send your note of thanks today!

Again, thank YOU for helping ensure passage of this important piece of legislation!

What's your vision for Ohio? The unhealthiest state?

Unfortunately, recent amendments to the proposed budget will do the following:

• Pre-empt/eliminate communities from utilizing many of the proven strategies to address obesity, such as policies that address trans fat and menu labeling at the local level. (pages 2265-2267 of the proposed budget)
• Eliminate provisions of the Healthy Choices for Healthy Children Act that would reduce calorie intake and have yet to go into effect. (pages 1790-1791 of the proposed budget)
• While still not providing for proven statewide solutions - funding for tobacco prevention and cessation as well as implementation for Smoke Free Ohio.

More information on each of these issues:

School Beverage Vending Standards
While just passed last year, the restriction to placing low-fat milks in schools won't even go into effect until 2014. Milk is a healthy option, but can also be a high calorie one. Following an agreement with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, the American Dairy Association agreed to healthy standards, but Ohio is set to roll these back.
Resources:

• AHA School Nutrition Policy Recommendations

Restricting local efforts
As a home-rule state, local communities should have the ability, if they choose, to encourage healthy behaviors through environmental change. Eliminating local control to address such policies as trans fat, menu labeling and food deserts seems un-Ohioan.
Resources:

• Trans Fat Fact Sheet
• AHA Position Statement on Menu Labeling
• Policy Position Statement on Food Advertising and Marketing Practices to Children

Tobacco Prevention Funding and Smoke Free Ohio
While the budget now seeks to pre-empt local communities from addressing obesity and other health issues, it also fails to address proven state policies. Ohio needs a comprehensive tobacco prevention and cessation program and funding to implement Smoke Free Ohio. Polling consistently shows Ohioans support both solutions.

Ohio is poised to make a mark nationally. Will we be known as the state that values our citizens and promotes good health? Or will we be known as the unhealthiest state in the nation?

The budget will be passed in a few days. Let your legislators know which vision you support!

Great news! Late last week, the Delaware House passed House Bill 3 w/HA 1 which would ban industrially produced trans fats from our schools.

But we need your help to cross the finish line!

Trans fats are found in some fried foods and baked goods, have been found to significantly lower HDL (good) cholesterol and significantly increase LDL (bad) cholesterol, make arteries more rigid, cause major clogging of arteries, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cause or contribute to other serious health problems.

Please take a moment to thank the House for their swift action and urge the Senate to also act quickly to pass this important legislation!

Thank you for helping improve the health of Delaware's kids!