June 28, 2005
Assembly Member Carol Liu
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento , CA 94249-0044
RE: SB 12 (Escutia) – SUPPORT
Dear Assembly Member Liu:
I am writing on behalf of the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) in support of your bill, SB 12, which will implement nutrient standards for foods sold on all public school campuses. We support this bill because we want our schools to be a healthy place for our kids. We must stop the obesity epidemic that is disproportionately impacting communities of color and your bill helps do that.
APIAHF is a national policy advocacy organization with the mission of bringing the highest level of health and well-being to AAPIs. Founded in 1986, the organization approaches activities with the philosophy of coalition-building and partnership, capacity building, providing technical assistance and training, developing leadership and disseminating information.
Recent studies have shown that that nearly one-third of Californians are overweight or at risk of being overweight and that African-American, Latino and Asian children were more likely than White children to be overweight or at risk. The incidence of childhood obesity brings with it elevated risk for Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, early maturation, orthopedic problems and a host of other diseases and health concerns. In California , obesity costs an estimated $14.2 billion each year in direct medical expenses and lost productivity.
SB 12 helps change the environment in schools by limiting the fat and sugar content of foods sold on public school campuses. This will ensure that low-income students of color will have access to nutritious foods and will not be forced to eat poor quality food because it is all that they can get or afford. Thank you for your continued leadership on the important issue of nutrition on our school campuses.
Sincerely,
Ho Luong Tran, M.D., MPH
President and CEO
Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum
