The new law gives communities powerful new federal oversight and money for improving nutrition and addressing the increasing crises of childhood obesity in our schools.
Nancy Brown, American Heart Association CEO was among noted supporters, Anne Duncan, US Secretary of Education, and Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, President and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation quoted in the White House Press Release. Brown said that with the implementation of this law, our nation’s children will be less likely to grow up with early risk factors for heart disease and stroke.
Several of the highlights from the White House fact sheet include that will benefit Houston students include:
Gives USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) the authority to set nutritional standards for all foods regularly sold in schools during the school day including vending machines.
Provides additional funding to schools that meet updated nutritional standards for federally subsidized lunches and is the first real increase in rates in more that 30 years. In Houston, about 78 percent of the students qualify for federally subsidized lunches.
Helps communities establish local farm to school networks, create school gardens and ensures that more local foods are used in the schools.
Sets basic standards for school wellness policies including goals for nutritional promotion and education and physical activity.
Provides $4.5 billion in new funding for the programs over 10 years.
The White House provided an example of the "before and after" school menu.
A school lunch today might mean a hot dog on a bun with ketchup, and 1/8 cup each of raw celery and carrots with ranch dressing; canned pears and low-fat chocolate milk.
Under the new act, that lunch would be whole wheat spaghetti with meat sauce and a whole wheat roll; a 1/2 cup each of green beans, broccoli and cauliflower; 1/2 cup kiwi; plus some low fat milk, and a small dab of low fat ranch dip and soft margarine.
For more information on this historic new law see: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/12/13/president-obama-signs-healthy-hunger-free-kids-act-2010-law
Contributed by Nancy Thorne
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