0
School Food Legislation Update
By Deborah Lehmann —
A number of bills addressing school food have been introduced in the House and the Senate. Here’s a summary of the most important ones, along with some commentary:
The White House Conference on Food and Nutrition (HR 1869): This bill, co-sponsored by James McGovern (D-MA) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO), would require President Obama to call a White House Conference on Food and Nutrition by December of 2010. The conference will identify strategies for ending hunger in America and review the effectiveness of current nutrition programs. Definitely necessary, and bound to happen given Obama’s call for ending child hunger by 2015. But I hope the conference will focus as well on food quality and the paradoxical relationship between hunger and obesity.
Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act of 2009 (HR 1324): Introduced by Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), this bill would give the secretary of agriculture the authority to regulate all foods sold at any time of day on school campuses. Currently, the USDA can only regulate complete reimbursable meals sold as part of the National School Lunch Program and a short list of “foods of minimal nutritional value” sold during the lunch hour. Regulation of foods sold anywhere on campus is long overdue and would remove most of the soda and French fries from public schools. It is important, though, that the final bill allows states to go beyond the USDA standards if they wish. As one industry representative told me, uniform national standards are good for food companies, but they stifle the innovation that leads to healthier products and meals.
Fitness Integrated with Teaching (FIT) Kids Act (HR1585): Ron Kind (D-WI) introduced this bill, which would amend the No Child Left Behind Act to promote physical activity throughout the school day. The bill would require states, districts and individual schools to report on the quantity and quality of physical education and would support professional development for PE teachers. The bill would also fund a study on the impact of health and physical activity on academic achievement. In addition, the bill would promote nutrition education and structured physical activity in counseling programs, learning centers and school activities. I wish somebody would introduce a bill like this integrating the cafeteria into NCLB and providing for professional development for cafeteria staff. Representative Kind clearly understands that schools are only going to take physical activity seriously if they are accountable for PE like they’re accountable for test scores. The same is true for nutrition. Until schools have to report on kitchen facilities, the number of trained cafeteria staff and the quality and quantity of nutrition education, they won’t get serious about school lunch.
Latest Comments: