One of the major agenda items when Congress returns from its August recess is the reauthorization of nutrition programs governed by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which is set to expire on Sept. 30. The reauthorization bill funds a number of things, including school lunch and breakfast programs that serve more than 30 million children at least one meal each day.
At 1 p.m. ET today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will highlight the controversial act’s role in addressing child-nutrition challenges in a keynote speech at the Center for American Progress in Washington.
When it was passed in 2010, the act set new nutritional standards for schools that were designed to address childhood hunger and obesity problems. The new standards required that more fruit and vegetables and whole grains be served in school cafeterias, and were a signature piece of First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign. Critics argue that the act puts undue strain on school districts’ tight food budgets.
Writing at Civil Eats, Bettina Elias Siegel drills into the controversies surrounding the School Nutrition Association’s reversal of support for healthier school fare and its ties to big food companies. In its effort to roll back the new standards, the association, comprised of 55,000 school-food professionals, points to studies that indicate students aren’t eating the healthier meals and complaints from school districts about the higher cost.
Siegel also cites a recent national poll by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation that found overwhelming support among the public for the healthier school meals.