Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), in a bid to curb the growing diabetes crisis gripping the country, says the food and beverage industry should not be able to target kids with advertising for unhealthy products.
The senator made the remarks at a Dec, 14 hearing before the Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pension, which he chairs. The session cast a spotlight on the monetary gain experienced by companies marketing unhealthy foods, particularly those targeting children.
The hearing included testimony from expert witnesses, including Dr. Kasia Lipska, Associate Professor of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine. The doctor expanded on the impact of the food industry on consumer choices and highlighted the addictive nature of ultra-processed foods.
Dr. Lipska also shed light on the financial hurdles patients encounter in accessing diabetes treatments, particularly the exorbitant costs of newer medications.
Early in his comments, Mr. Sanders not only underscored the imperative of understanding the core causes of the epidemic but also spoke to potential remedies to ensure equitable access to treatment and preventative steps.
The senator offered data on the astronomical costs of diabetes care, particularly new medications with soaring prices that, last year alone, totaled almost $413 billion in the United States.
He pointed to the firm link between the epidemics of diabetes and obesity, emphasizing that 90 percent of individuals with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese.
The lawmaker also pointed to the direct correlation between the marketing stratagems of the food and beverage industry and the upswing in diabetes cases, particularly among children.
“For decades, we have allowed large corporations in the food and beverage industry to entice children to eat foods loaded with sugar, salt, and saturated fat. This situation has led to an addiction crisis, with ultra-processed foods being as addictive as alcohol and cigarettes,” Mr. Sanders declared.
The senator proposed the prohibition of junk food advertising aimed at children, citing successful precedents in Quebec, Canada. Such a ban, he argued, could be instrumental in reducing childhood obesity rates and fostering healthier dietary habits.
Furthermore, Mr. Sanders delved into the exorbitant prices of prescription drugs for diabetes, explicitly referencing medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy.
He cited his legislative initiatives designed to forestall pharmaceutical companies from imposing significantly higher prices in the United States, compared with other developed nations.
“We cannot continue to pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. If signed into law, this bill will lower the cost of prescription drugs in this country by 50 percent,” Mr. Sanders asserted.
The committee offered insight into the critical juncture the nation finds itself in, showing America is poised to reckon with the symbiotic relationship between corporate profitability and public well-being, navigating a path toward a healthier future.
During his comments, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), the committee’s ranking member who is himself a doctor, pointed to the fact that advertising is not in the purview of the committee and highlighted the struggles faced by those with Type 1 diabetes.
The Louisiana lawmaker asserted that Mr. Sanders’s focus on advertising practices was unlikely to yield results.
“I will point out that corporate marketing practices to consumers and human nutrition are not the jurisdiction of this committee,” Dr. Cassidy said. “Those are the commerce and agriculture.”
“Food Marketing is what this committee will focus on today, but ideally, the committee’s time would be addressing issues over which we have legislative authority. If we have legislative authority, we can do something.”
Committee members spoke to the balance between not infringing on individuals’ and businesses’ rights and facilitating public health, pointing to changes made to tobacco advertising as a potential roadmap to more responsible marketing practices.
Another expert witness, Lindsey Smith Taillie, an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina, said in her statement:
“Kids should not be sick because of our food environment. Federal policy action is urgently needed to make the healthy choice the easy choice.”
