Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 91.djvu/1033

 PUBLIC LAW 95-113—SEPT. 29, 1977

91 STAT. 999

Subtitle D—National Food and Human Nutrition Research and Extension Program FINDINGS AND DECLARATIONS

SEC. 1421. (a) Congress hereby finds that there is increasing evi- 7 USC 3171. dence of a relationship between diet and many of the leading causes of death in the United States: that improved nutrition is an integral component of preventive health care; that there is a serious need for research on the chronic effects of diet on degenerative diseases and related disorders; that nutrition and health considerations are important to United States agricultural policy; that there is insufficient knowledge concerning precise human nutritional requirements, the interaction of the various nutritional constituents of food, and differences in nutritional requirements among different population groups such as infants, children, adolescents, elderly men and women, and pregnant women; and that there is a critical need for objective data concerning food safety, the potential of food enrichment, and means to encourage better nutritional practices. (b) It is hereby declared to be the policy of the United States that the Department of Agriculture conduct research in ihe fields of human nutrition and the nutritive value of foods and conduct human nutrition education activities, as provided in this subtitle. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE

SEC. 1422. In order to carry out the policy of this subtitle, the Secre- 7 USC 3172. tary shall develop and implement a national food and human nutrition research and extension program that shall include, but not be limited to— (1) research on human nutritional requirements; (2) research on the nutrient composition of foods and the effects of agricultural practices, handling, food processing, and cooking on the nutrients they contain; (3) surveillance of the nutritional benefits provided to participants in the food programs administered by the Department of Agriculture; (4) research on the factors affecting food preference and habits; and (5) the development of techniques and equipment to assist consumers in the home or in institutions in selecting food that , supplies a nutritionally adequate diet. RESEARCH BY THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

SEC. 1423. (a) The Secretary shall establish research into food and 7 USC 3173. human nutrition as a separate and distinct mission of the Department of Agriculture, and the Secretary shall increase support for such research to a level that provides resources adequate to meet the policy of this subtitle. (b) The Secretary, in administering the food and human nutrition research program, shall periodically consult with the administrators of the other Federal departments and agencies that have responsibility for programs dealing with human food and nutrition, as to the specific research needs of those departments and agencies.

,.

�