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Harkin Introduces School Food Bill in Senate
By Deborah Lehmann —
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced legislation last week that would tighten the regulations on foods sold in schools. The bill parallels Lynn Woolsey’s Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act of 2009, which was introduced in the House in March.
Both bills would give the secretary of agriculture the authority to regulate foods sold throughout the school environment. Currently, the USDA can only regulate fully reimbursable meals sold through the National School Lunch Program and an outdated list of “foods of minimal nutritional value.” That list is laughably short — it includes only soda water, water ices, chewing gum and certain candies, with no mention of fat, calories, sugar or sodium. What’s more, the USDA can only regulate those foods inside the lunchroom during the lunch hour. The lax rules allow schools to sell all the sodas, french fries and Snickers bars they want. And sell they do — those are the items that bring in the most revenue, and many cafeteria directors say they’re vital for keeping meal programs afloat.
Under the proposed legislation, the USDA would have to issue regulations for all foods sold on school premises, except for foods sold as part of fundraisers (a ridiculous loophole that may dilute the measure). The bills in the House and the Senate are almost identical, except that Woolsey’s legislation calls for regulation during the “extended school day,” which includes any activities under the school’s watch, even if they take place before or after official school hours. Harkin’s bill simply refers to the “school day” — which means students would be able to buy their sodas, chips and candy bars before they head off to their after-school activities…
The only other difference appears in the bills’ guidelines for the USDA regulations. Both bills would require the secretary of agriculture to issue regulations that take into account the “positive and negative contributions of nutrients, ingredients and foods to children’s diets.” Harkin’s legislation would additionally require the secretary to consider “nutrients of concern” identified in the most recent edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
These bills aren’t going to fix school food, but they’ll get rid of the soda and the deep fryers. And with the current state of school lunch, that’s a huge step in the right direction. Contact your senators and representatives, and make sure they get on board!
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