Informing the Public About Nutrition: Federal Agencies Should Do Better

A large share of the Nation's health costs has been attributed to hunger and poor eating habits. A primary cause of poor nutrition is lack of consumer knowledge about the proper selection and preparation of food. Most of the Federal Government's nutrition information is produced by the Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), and 12 agencies within these departments administer the dissemination of information developed by at least seven Federal Departments and commissions.