school food revolution still in session

School Food Revolution Still In Session

Fri 30 Jul 2010

Story by Deb Eschmeyer
 

Do you pack your child's lunch because you don't want them eating cheese covered Cheetos? Were you shocked at what you witnessed during Jamie Oliver's six weeks in Huntington, West Virginia? What our kids see on their lunch trays is a snapshot of our national food system: fresh, baked, breaded, or fried. Every child deserves access to a healthy school meal, which is why the School Food Revolution does not take the summer off.

Even though class bells aren't ringing, Congress is still in session and school food is on the legislative plate of priorities.

The bill that determines what 31 million children eat in the school day, the Child Nutrition Act, expires September 30, 2010 meaning it's up for reauthorization, giving us an opportunity to really improve how food for our smallest citizens is funded, sourced, defined, and prioritized. Remember in 1981, how under Reaganomics ketchup was classified as a vegetable and 2 million children were dropped from the National School Lunch Program? The Act has far-reaching impact, beyond school lunch, to the WIC, Child and Adult Care Food, Summer Food Service programs, and others.

It's now time for some floor action. The two committees charged with updating the child nutrition bill have passed it through their respective jurisdictions, and it now must be taken up by the House and Senate to then finally be signed by the President.

The Senate Agriculture Committee passed S. 3307, Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, on March 24th. The bill included an additional $4.5 billion in funding for nutrition programs over ten years. While this is the largest increase in funding in the history of child nutrition, it falls short of the $10 billion in new funding proposed in the Obama Administration's budget.
On July 15, the House Committee on Education and Labor passed its Child Nutrition bill H.R. 5504, Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act of 2010, with $8 billion in new funding over ten years, edging slightly closer to Obama's request and quest to end childhood hunger by 2015.

Both bills include reforms that significantly improve program access, the nutritional quality of meals, and historic first-time support for Farm to School programs. They both also add six cents for reimbursements, which is the federal funding schools receive to serve each lunch; currently at $2.68 in which approximately a dollar goes to actual food ingredients.

While we would like to continue to improve the bill and possibly find more funding, the most important priority for our children is to keep the bill moving in this busy legislative year. With a crowded summer Congressional calendar including a Supreme Court nomination, Energy Bill, and possible Immigration legislation, to name a few, we will miss the current September 30th deadline for passage if we don't act to tell Senate and House leaders, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, to schedule both the bills for floor debate and pass them as quickly as possible.

Instead of more dollars, program improvements, and a first-time investment in Farm to School programs, we risk having a one or two-year extension of the current law, losing an historic opportunity for change.

We don't have time to waste. Obesity rates increased in 28 states in the past year. As recently reported in "F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2010," obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges our country has faced. With 1 in 3 US children overweight or obese, we need to end this trend.

During the last reauthorization cycle five years ago, there was a scarcity of grassroots pressure and media around this policy. This round we have celebrity chef champions like Jamie Oliver and Rachael Ray to Michelle Obama and even kids dressed up as vegetables advocating for change to Congress! Millions have realized this level of national policy change that will touch the daily lives of children don't come knocking every day--demonstrated through millions of signatures added to petitions, thousands of letters written by children and parents to Congress, and hundreds of action alerts sent out. It's now the final stretch and we can't lose momentum, especially before Congress goes on recess.

So tell Congress to not push school food off their plate. Let's pass Child Nutrition with a healthy amount of funding so we can heap our children's trays with fresh fruits and vegetables and create a healthier generation.

Click here to take action. "Be the change you seek," as Jamie says, and get in the front line of the food revolution.

About the author: Deb Eschmeyer heads up the national Farm to School program in the US