House Approves Legislation to Improve Access to Healthy and Nutritious School Meals
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives today passed legislation that will ensure more children have year-round access to healthy and nutritious meals at school, in child care settings, and during the summer months, at no new cost to taxpayers, as part of the 2010 Agriculture Appropriations Bill Conference Agreement. The legislation, which passed with a bipartisan vote of 263-162, temporarily extends expiring provisions of the law governing child nutrition provisions and makes investments to help meet critical child nutrition needs for families across the country.
“With unemployment and health care costs on the rise, millions of families are relying on the federal child nutrition programs as the nutritional safety net for their children.” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. “Giving our most vulnerable children access to healthy, safe, nutritious and affordable meals is one of the most important things we can do to help them thrive in school and in life.”
“I am pleased the bill included onetime spending initiatives that will provide an outstanding opportunity for children of all ages to have better access to healthier food,” said U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities. “Although there is no silver bullet to fighting obesity, I am proud that our bill provides support to outstanding WIC breastfeeding programs. Breastfeeding is associated with lower rates of obesity as well as respiratory infections, sudden infant death syndrome, and type 2 diabetes and I believe we must do everything we can to support mothers who are breastfeeding.”
The investments in this legislation, which are fully paid for, will strengthen the child nutrition programs by building program capacity and expanding children’s access to benefits and services. Over 32 million children receive healthful meals and snacks through the federal child nutrition programs. This extension provides $85 million for pilot summer food service program projects that will help expand nutrition benefits for low-income children during the summer. It also provides support to states to help increase the number of children who are automatically enrolled for free school meals and to help reduce administrative errors in the program.
Additionally, the legislation includes funding for school food service equipment grants, building on investments included as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to provide schools with the necessary equipment to help store, prepare and serve healthy foods. It also promotes healthy and nutritious meals in child care settings and rewards states that are making strides in encouraging more low-income women to breast feed. Studies show that breast feeding can lead to increased immunity and reduce risks for obesity.
Every day, 13 million U.S. children are at risk of food insecurity. Research shows children who are hungry have a harder time paying attention in school. President Obama has outlined eliminating hunger and improving nutrition for all children as top priorities for his administration. The Education and Labor Committee is continuing to work toward a comprehensive reauthorization of the child nutrition programs before the end of this Congress.
For more information about the investments in the child nutrition program, click here.
Tomorrow, the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on child nutrition. To learn more, click here.
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