To help tackle what FDA is calling the "nation's obesity epidemic," the agency released the final report of its Obesity Working Group. The group's long- and short-term proposals are based on the scientific fact that weight control is mainly a function of caloric balance. FDA's recommended actions include:

• enhancing the food label to display calorie count more prominently and to use meaningful serving sizes
• initiating a consumer education campaign focusing on the "Calories Count" message
• encouraging restaurants to provide nutritional information to consumers
• stepping up enforcement actions concerning accuracy of food labels
• revising FDA guidance for developing drugs to treat obesity, and
• working cooperatively with other government agencies, non-profits, industry, and academia on obesity research.

For more information visit www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/obesity/