What happened to the healthy and happy childhood? In 2010, approximately 500,000 U.S. families went without the daily food they needed and their children relied on the one meal they receive at school for their day’s sustenance. Plus, 30 percent of kids in America today are obese or overweight, also attributable to poor nutrition.
Today, President Obama is expected to sign into law the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, bringing the most significant improvements to school nutrition programs in over 30 years. In a briefing on Friday, December 10, Tom Vilsack, the Secretary of Agriculture and Sam Kass, U.S. Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives delivered comments on the goals and strengths of the new bill.
Currently, approximately 31 million kids participate in the USDA’s National School Lunch Program. Vilsak said that today’s signing will not only bring changes that will increase the quality of foods that kids consume at school, but will also expand the lunch and after-school supper programs to more kids. Grab a school lunch in the future and you should see more fresh vegetables and fruits and more whole grains. You should see less sodium, sugar and fats. While an additional 6 cents per meal doesn’t sound like much, it can make the difference between a real apple or sugary processed applesauce, or a slice of whole wheat bread and a white slice. And if your kid is a fan of the vending machine, or the a la carte line, new nutritional standards will be enforced for these options as well.
Beyond the cafeteria, the bill will provide schools with tools and funding to help shift eating and exercise habits for kids at an early age, thus combating the growing obesity problem in children today. Increased ties between schools, local farms, and community gardens will be supported to improve access to fresh produce and improve awareness around the value of fresh food.
For more information see Healthy, Hunger-Free Act of 2010.
