Release No. 0141.06

Contact: Ed Loyd (202) 720-4623
John Webster (703) 305-7600

USDA Announces MyPyramid Nutrition Education and Promotion Agreements

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2006 - Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced that USDA has entered into cooperative agreements with three partners to increase the public's knowledge of both the Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid.

"The high healthcare costs resulting from poor dietary practices underscores the importance of nutrition education to encourage the adoption of healthier lifestyles," said Johanns. "Over the last year the public has embraced MyPyramid, which provides personalized guidance on how to live longer and healthier lives. Today, I'm pleased to make the first selections under this new and innovative program that builds on the success of MyPyramid."

The new Nutrition Education and Promotion Program (NEPP) public private partnerships are designed to collaboratively educate American consumers in creative, innovative ways on important nutrition messages that help individuals to make better food choices and improve physical activity behaviors.

Each cooperative agreement will link science-based dietary guidance to the nutrition needs of consumers, facilitate nutrition policy coordination, and promote nutrition education. USDA will work cooperatively with the selected partners to implement their proposed multi-year, multi-dimensional nutrition promotion and education campaigns. The agreements do not involve the use of any federal funds.

The three nationally recognized organizations selected to receive cooperative agreements are:

• Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. Tufts will work with USDA and their proposed third party partner, Safeway, to test a science-based, nutrient density concept to improve consumer understanding of the nutritional quality of products consumers choose and to improve overall dietary patterns at point of purchase.

• Naturally Nutrient Rich Coalition (NNRC). Representing each of the MyPyramid food groups, the NNRC intends to collaborate with USDA to further nutrient density science and market research and develop messages and materials that provide consumers with information that assists them in meeting the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines.

• Hispanic Communications Network (HCN). HCN will work with USDA to develop a campaign to create awareness and behavior change in Spanish-speaking Hispanics nationally through a combination of newspapers, radio and TV stations, high profile Internet portals, and special events in select communities.

For more information on the NEPP, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid, please visit http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/.

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