Last August, the Senate unanimously passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which would make significant changes to the school meal programs that serve millions of children across our country each day. The bill garnered significant praise from Senate members of both parties. It was part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Campaign to end childhood hunger and fight childhood obesity.
The bill was then sent to the House of Representatives, where it faced controversy from both parties and went nowhere. Thanks to a write in campaign where 1000 organizations–from public health experts and private sector companies to faith-based and anti-hunger organizations–urged the passage of this legislation, the bill was put back on the table. Last Thursday, the bill was finally passed and sent on to President Obama to be signed into law.
The $4.5 billion bill has two major platforms: gives more children access to federally subsidized school meals and creates national baseline standards for all foods sold in schools. It also increases physical activity for students and expands the current food safety requirements.
The bill will use Medicaid data to allow states to directly certify children for the existing federal breakfast and lunch programs if they meet income requirements, without requiring individual applications. It would also annually provide 20 million additional after-school meals every year to U.S. schoolchildren. Currently, most states now only serve after-school snacks, and a full meal is believed to be an important step in battling hunger for the needy in these tough economic times.
Schools that comply with the new guidelines will be reimbursed an additional 6 cents per meal over the $2.72 they are currently being paid. The additional funding is primarily aimed at public schools, but nonprofit private schools may also be eligible.
The new nutrition standards would be written by the Agriculture Department based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. They would decide which kinds of foods may be sold and what ingredients can be used on school lunch lines and in vending machines.
The new standards would likely keep popular foods like hamburgers and pizza in school cafeterias but make them healthier, using leaner meat or whole wheat crust, for example. Schools will also provide parents and students with better information about nutrition and meal quality in school food. Vending machines will be stocked with less candy and fewer high-calorie drinks.
Bake sales and other school sponsored fundraisers that sell unhealthy foods could be limited under the legislation, which only allows them if they are infrequent. Public health advocates pushed for the language, saying they are concerned about daily or weekly fundraisers that allow children to substitute junk food for a healthier meal.
Arne Duncan, US Secretary of Education said “(this) bill…will make the most significant investment in the National School Lunch program in more than 30 years. (It) will increase healthy choices in school cafeterias across the country… help schools fight our country’s childhood obesity epidemic and give students access to the nutritional food they need to help them learn.”
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said “Our national security, economic competitiveness and health and wellness of our children will improve as a result of the action Congress took.”
First lady Obama said she was “thrilled… a groundbreaking piece of bipartisan legislation that will significantly improve the quality of meals that children receive at school.”
However, not everyone is as happy. Some public school organizations, including the National School Boards Association, have criticized the bill, saying there are not enough additional funds to sufficiently carry out the mandates. Some Republicans say the bill is too expensive and an example of government overreach. Some Democrats are concerned that the funding takes money from food stamps, and are worried about cuts that will have to be made in the food stamp program.
What do you think? Is this legislation a good thing? Or is it turning our country into a “nanny state” and burdening tax payers with more debt?
sources: http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/education-secretary-duncan-and-agriculture-secretary-vilsack-urge-congress-pass-, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/01/house-child-nutrition-bill-stalled-gop_n_790680.html, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/02/child-nutrition-congress-_n_791275.html?ir=Education Image credit: http://www.blogcdn.com/www.slashfood.com/media/2010/08/michelle-obama-garden-062010-590.jpg
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Christi Grab is Parentella’s Editorial Director and author of The Unexpected Circumnavigation: Unusual Boat, Unusual People Part 1 – San Diego to Australia. She is currently working on book two of the series.
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Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act Passed House — Is this a good thing? Share your opinions with us! http://bit.ly/fedkD2
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Amazing, i wish i can write like that…
[...] Dmitry Medvedev, for a greasy burger and fries in D.C.), but I suspect the First Lady, who is actively trying to fight childhood obesity, would put down the veto [...]