Interest in nutrition has not always been strong; in fact, there was a time that policy makers did not understand the strong linkages among food, nutrition, and health. Basic to the understanding and support is the information collected on health measures and food intake by the CDC Center for Health Statistics and the USDA Agriculture Research Service. N. Chapman Associates, Inc. formed the Alliance for Nutrition Monitoring with representatives from health, nutrition, consumer, food industry, and commodity groups and advocated for and obtained increased appropriations for Center for Disease Control and Prevention and ARS for health, nutrition, and food surveys and analysis. These data track the impact of policy changes, food assistance programs, and nutrition education and promotion on Americans’ diets and health.
