This week our bloggers are so excited about The Child Nutrition Bill, they can't help but write about it! Here are two different overviews from our Nutrition News Roundup blogger Monica and our Hot Topics blogger Christine.
Nutrition News Roundup
I’ve been keeping up with news pertaining to Michelle Obama and her fight against child obesity along with the child nutrition bill; today I was very excited to hear that the bill won house approval. The First Lady commented on the approval of the bill calling it “a groundbreaking piece of bipartisan legislation that will significantly improve the quality of meals that children receive at school and will play an integral role in our efforts to combat childhood obesity (Michelle Obama).”
Here are some of the ways the child nutrition bill will aid in minimizing childhood obesity and improve school lunches:
· The government would have the power to decide what kinds of foods would be sold in the lunch line and vending machines.
· Popular foods such as hamburgers and pizza would still be offered, but they would be modified to be healthier.
· Schools would receive an increase in reimbursement for free lunches by 6 cents a meal.
· The bill would provide money to serve more than 20 million additional after-school meals annually in all 50 states.
· The bill would increase eligibility and accessibility for school lunches by using Medicaid and census data.
In addition, I am especially excited because tomorrow I will be giving my second lesson on nutrition to little 1st graders. Our vice president from the Student Dietetic Association at my university has set up this project. It has been a very fun and exciting activity to be a part of. As a result of this project, I feel that the kids we have talked to will have a better understanding of nutrition and learn why they must eat healthy foods.
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I don’t get too excited about politics or the law these days, but one bill I have been watching closely is the Child Nutrition Bill. Recent statistics claim that one in three children are overweight, and there is little to no regulation over what children are eating for lunch at school. Some school districts have school-wide or district-wide health policies, but there has never been a federally enforced health policy for all schools across the U.S.
The Child Nutrition bill was unanimously passed by the Senate, and it just passed in the House of Reps this past Thursday. The bill is called the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act and not only improves the nutritional quality of foods served in schools but also increases access to free or reduced-price meals to children from families in need who might not be able to afford a school lunch.
The basic premise of the bill is to include healthier meal options for children at school, since this is where children spend the better part of their day. Foods like hamburgers and pizzas will still be available, but probably with a whole-wheat bun or crust and more vegetables. Some facets of the bill include:
- The USDA will set nutritional guidelines for all food sold in schools, including vending machines
- Schools must limit food of little or no nutritional value, including junk food, soda and sugary beverages, and bake sale treats
- School cafeterias are required to include fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products to meal options
- School lunch workers are required to receive nutrition training to help students make healthier choices
Some other cool things about this bill are that the government will provide $40 million in funding for farm-to-school programs so that students can have fresh produce from local farms at their schools. Schools are also encouraged to start their own gardens to grow food, which I think is an excellent project for students and a lifelong skill that students can use for a healthier life. They can bring this activity to their homes and communities and hopefully encourage others to start their own home or neighborhood garden.
There has been criticism to the bill; some arguments which seem valid and some that are (in my opinion) just plain stupid. One valid argument that I do like is from Dr. Neal Bernard, who wished that congress had gone further to ensure that there were more vegetarian and dairy-free options. Aside from vegans and vegetarians, I think healthy meat-free and dairy-free options are important for children with intolerances and allergies.
Of course, there were also those who argued that the bill was too expensive and that the government had no right to “overreach” its authority and set standards for what foods should be allowed in schools. I don’t see any problem with this bill, even though to people like you and me $4.5 Billion seems like quite a lot of money. Without going into a tangent and getting myself in trouble, this is only a fraction of the gross amount of money that has been spent on war in the past 10 years, and I think this money is actually being used for a decent cause. I could not believe that some members of congress did not want this bill passed because of how much money was being spent on child nutrition or because they felt a federal school nutrition plan was an overreach of our government. With so many young children who are overweight or obese, and who are setting themselves up for a whole host of chronic diseases in the future, this is money that will definitely be well spent. The government is long overdue for setting health standards for school lunch programs, and I’m so happy that this bill is finally becoming a reality.
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