Yesterday President Obama signed into law the new Child Nutrition Bill. Named the Healthy, Hunger-free Kids Act, the $4.5 billion law will give powerful new tools to those of us in the field that are focused on reducing Childhood Obesity. While it isn't a silver bullet, I am ecstatic about the passage of this law, which will:
• Give USDA the authority to set nutritional standards for all foods regularly sold in schools during the school day, including vending machines, the "a la carte" lunch lines, and school stores.
• Increase the reimbursement rate for school lunches that meet updated nutritional standards for federally-subsidized lunches. This is an historic investment, the first real reimbursement rate increase in over 30 years.
• Help communities establish local farm to school networks, create school gardens, and ensures that more local foods are used in the school setting.
• Improve nutritional quality of commodity foods that schools receive from USDA and use in their breakfast and lunch programs.
• Expand access to drinking water in schools, particularly during meal times.
• Sets basic standards for school wellness policies including goals for nutrition promotion and education and physical activity, while still permitting local flexibility to tailor the policies to their particular needs.
• Promote nutrition and wellness in child care settings through the federally-subsidized Child and Adult Care Food Program.
• Expand support for breastfeeding through the WIC program.
We still have our work cut out for us. For instance, I am troubled that a school district as large and influential as Houston Independent School District has neglected to include health awareness in its strategic vision. What that means is that even with new ammunition, grassroots advocates will have to pay close attention and fight for meaningful programs that not only meet the federal guidelines, but that will have a true impact on the long term health of our kids.
It will still be up to you and me to make sure that our districts go beyond paying lip service to the letter of the law. Our schools need to incorporate broad-based, repetitive nutrition education that has lasting lifestyle impact and we need to launch that education the moment a child enters school. We must focus on establishing a culture of through to every student. We need Recipe for Success!
Read further about the bill and its effects.
See how a typical week's school menu can change
View image
• Give USDA the authority to set nutritional standards for all foods regularly sold in schools during the school day, including vending machines, the "a la carte" lunch lines, and school stores.
• Increase the reimbursement rate for school lunches that meet updated nutritional standards for federally-subsidized lunches. This is an historic investment, the first real reimbursement rate increase in over 30 years.
• Help communities establish local farm to school networks, create school gardens, and ensures that more local foods are used in the school setting.
• Improve nutritional quality of commodity foods that schools receive from USDA and use in their breakfast and lunch programs.
• Expand access to drinking water in schools, particularly during meal times.
• Sets basic standards for school wellness policies including goals for nutrition promotion and education and physical activity, while still permitting local flexibility to tailor the policies to their particular needs.
• Promote nutrition and wellness in child care settings through the federally-subsidized Child and Adult Care Food Program.
• Expand support for breastfeeding through the WIC program.
We still have our work cut out for us. For instance, I am troubled that a school district as large and influential as Houston Independent School District has neglected to include health awareness in its strategic vision. What that means is that even with new ammunition, grassroots advocates will have to pay close attention and fight for meaningful programs that not only meet the federal guidelines, but that will have a true impact on the long term health of our kids.
It will still be up to you and me to make sure that our districts go beyond paying lip service to the letter of the law. Our schools need to incorporate broad-based, repetitive nutrition education that has lasting lifestyle impact and we need to launch that education the moment a child enters school. We must focus on establishing a culture of through to every student. We need Recipe for Success!
Read further about the bill and its effects.
See how a typical week's school menu can change
View image
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