C. At the June meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists, the Administrator of USDA's Human Nutrition Information Service indicated that USDA's sodium labeling of meat and poultry products is voluntary and that FDA's proposal tying sodium labeling with nutrition labeling would differ from USDA's proposal. Why must the two departments have a different sodium labeling policy? Have the sodium labeling policies of USDA and FDA been coordinated with NOAA regarding the labeling of fish products?

d.

It is USDA's understanding that FDA has announced its intention to propose mandatory sodium labeling of food products only if there is not a positive voluntary response from industry. FDA's position at this time is to encourage voluntary disclosure of the sodium content of food products. USDA continues to support voluntary disclosure of the sodium content of food products on label. In 1981, 31 firms were providing sodium content on 1600 labels of products regulated by USDA. In 1983, 111 firms were voluntarily providing sodium content information on 3500 labels of products regulated by USDA.

The House Appropriations Committee report for FY 84 directs the Administrator of the Human Nutrition Information Service (HNIS) "to be responsible for seeing to it that all agencies in this bill speak with one voice in issuing nutritional guidance." How do you plan to implement this in view of the fact that the bill includes FDA which is a part of DHHS?

The directive of the House Appropriations Committee report can
be best implemented by continued close coordination of
nutrition education programs of DHHS and USDA. USDA and DHHS
work closely on a number of nutrition information and food
safety areas. Evidence of recent cooperative efforts that
resulted in or will result in nutrition guidance include:
(1) the USDA/DHHS Maternal and Infant Teleconference in April
1983; (2) the joint sodium awareness campaign; (3) the
issuance of a joint USDA/DHHS letter with the individual
departmental responses of the National Academy of Sciences
Diet, Nutrition and Cancer Report of June 1982; (4) USDA and
DHHS participation in the Dietary Guidelines Review Committee
activity.

The Assistant Secretaries for Health (DHHS) and Food and Consumer Services (USDA) hold regular meetings on issues of mutual concern. Their staff and agency personnel interact on matters related to nutrition guidance both through formal committee activity and informed consultation.

a. Last June the Department indicated a review of the NAS Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer Report was underway and the review could be used to guide relevant research prior to receiving the June 1983 supplement on Directions for Research. How was the review integrated into USDA research planning activities for FY 84 and FY 85?

This is an S&E response.

We have one addition.

HNIS is

planning to propose funding for a study on the selenium
content of foods to be contracted in FY 85.

5a. Question. Last June the Department indicated a review of the NAS Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer report was underway and the review could be used to guide relevant research prior to receiving the June 1983 supplement on Directions for Research. How was the review integrated into USDA research planning activities for FY 84 and FY 85?

Answer. Since development of research activities for FY 1984 took place well in advance of the July 1983 release of the review, it was not possible to consider the review in the FY 84 plans. Appropriate consideration of the review will be given in the development of FY 1985 research activities through the mechanism of the USDA Work Group for Human Nutrition.

5b. Question. What Department-wide planning mechanisms are used to determine human nutrition research priorities and to allocate funds among CSRS, ARS, HNIS, CG and other agencies such as FSIS?

Answer. The primary mechanism used to determine human nutrition research priorities is the Human Nutrition Work Group which is one of two subcommittees of the USDA Research and Education Committee, part of the Secretary of Agriculture's Policy and Coordination Council. The priorities identified by this group of representatives from eight USDA agencies, including FSIS, are given appropriate consideration in the planning activities of the individual agencies and followed by oversite responsibility within the USDA's Office of Budget and Program Analysis.

a. Since the Evaluation Committee of the Nutrition Status Monitoring System has not meet, when can Congress expect to receive the report on the nutritional status of the population originally scheduled for FY 84?

b.

C.

With the recent approval of the Charter for the Evaluation Committee, we hope to have the initial meeting of the Committee as soon as their schedules will permit. Until there is a meeting of the committee, it is not possible to set a date as to when Congress will receive a report from this committee. However, if possible, we would hope to have an

interim report by the end of FY-84.

What is the probability of beginning the first coordinated National
Nutrition Monitoring System surveys in 1987 as called for in the
Implementation Plan? When will the interlocking survey design be
completed?

It is still USDA's plan to conduct with DHHS, the first coordinated
NNMS 'survey in 1987. This will, however, depend on funding in FY-1985
to pretest the household phase of the survey and funding in FY 1986 for
contracting USDA's part of the NNMS survey to be initiated in 1987.

The Department has been working with the Department of Health and Human
Services for more than a year to make NFCS and NHANES more compariable
than is now attainable. Final designs will be completed in FY-84.

What impact will the FY 83 and FY 84 budgets for HNIS have on the
Department's ability to conduct the first coordinated survey in 1987?
What impact will the FY 84 budget for HNIS have on the longitudinal
dietary survey to be conducted in FY 84-85?

HNIS's FY-83 and FY-84 budgets will not have any major impact on the
Department's ability to conduct the first coordinated survey in 1987.
The FY-1984 budget for HNIS, however, will materially affect the
longitudinal dietary survey that will be contracted for in FY-1984 and
initiated in 1985. Due to budget limitations, the Department will be
able to initiate the survey on only a monitoring group, probably women
22-50, and possibly children of those women. Due to reduced sample size,
data will not be available for the four regions of the country separately
and will be available for no more than two income classes.