child nutrition
One in five households with children face food hardship
Families with children are more likely to face hardship in obtaining enough food year-round than households without them, says the anti-hunger Food Research and Action Center. Based on a Gallup survey, FRAC estimated that 20 percent of households with children nationwide suffers food hardship.
Sugar industry swayed findings on coronary health risks for decades
Industry documents reveal that the sugar industry began working closely with nutrition scientists in the mid-1960s to single out fat and cholesterol as the dietary causes of coronary heart disease and to downplay evidence that sugar was also a risk factor, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Warning labels deter teens from drinking sugary beverages, study finds
An on-line survey of more than 2,000 teenagers found they would cut back on soft drink purchases if they came with a warning label about the possibility of obesity, diabetes and tooth decay, say researchers from the University of Pennsylvania medical school. Earlier this year, the research team said parents were less likely to buy sugary beverages for their children if warning labels were attached.
Infants pick up cues on food by watching adults – study
Toddlers’ food preferences are fickle but a new study reveals that they register social cues about food from adults. “By watching toddlers react to people’s food preferences, researchers found that the little ankle-biters seem to make generalizations about good eats and who will like them based on social identities. Toddlers expected people in the same social groups to like the same foods and appeared puzzled if that wasn’t the case,” Ars Technica writes.
GOP: It’s ‘a mistake’ for USDA to run food-stamp program
The Agriculture Department has run the $74-billion-a-year food stamp program since it was created half a century ago — "a mistake," according to the platform approved by delegates at the Republican National Convention. The campaign document says Republicans "will ... separate the administration of [food stamps] from the Department of Agriculture."
Block grant would short-change school food, say opponents
A three-state test of block grants for school lunch and breakfast programs would short-change schools and lead to less-nutritious meals for students, said a chorus of opponents that included lawmakers, antihunger groups and a group speaking for school food directors. The news conference on Capitol Hill underlined the split between the School Nutrition Association (SNA) and its one-time Republican allies.
To improve diet quality, boost food-stamp benefits by $1 a day
Food-stamp recipients would buy more nutritious foods, notably vegetables, poultry and fish, if benefits were raised by $1 a day or 24 percent, says a study commissioned by the think tank Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. Higher-quality diets "may yield better long-term health outcomes," said the think tank.
Summer food program plateaus at 3.2 million children
Fewer than one of six eligible children takes part in the summer food program, a participation rate that plateaued in 2015 after three years of steady growth, says the Food Research and Action Center in a report released today. The anti-hunger group said Congress should expand the program as part of the pending update of child-nutrition programs costing $23 billion a year, headlined by school lunch.
Endorsing junk food, pop stars add to teen obesity
Sodas, sweets and fast food are the most common choices when pop music stars endorse foods and beverages, says a study by New York University researchers, who blame the advertisements for contributing to teen obesity. "The vast majority of the food and beverage products ... are unhealthy," says the NYU Langone Medical Center, "Equally alarming, none of the music stars identified in the study endorsed fruits, vegetables or whole grains."
Anti-hunger groups criticize House child-nutrition bill
Ahead of a House Education Committee vote today on child-nutrition programs, anti-hunger groups said the bill, written by Republicans, includes a test of a block grant program that removes most federal control over which children receive free meals, and how often the meals are provided.
USDA: House child-nutrition bill pinches poor, subsidizes well-off students
The child-nutrition bill written by House Republicans "is harmful to children's health," said the USDA in the strongest criticism yet of the bill by the administration. In a statement, the agency said the bill "heaps administrative costs on schools and plans to bury parents in more bureaucratic red tape, all while subsidizing well-off children at the expense of our less fortunate children who need help."
Senate nutrition bill? ‘Really great.’ House bill? No comment
White House nutrition adviser Deb Eschmayer declined to say if First Lady Michelle Obama will step into the debate over reauthorization of child nutrition programs that cost $23 billion a year.
Community eligibility cutback would hit 7,000 schools
In only its second year of availability nationwide, more than 18,000 schools in high-poverty areas are utilizing the Community Eligibility Provision to provide free breakfast and lunch to all of their students, a total of 8.5 million pupils.
House panel would delay menu labels to late 2017, or beyond
The House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees USDA and FDA is writing its own guarantee of a gradual transition to calorie counts on menus a restaurants, carry-outs, stores and fast-food stands. It included a rider, Section 735, in its USDA-FDA funding bill saying enforcement cannot occur until a year after Dec. 1, 2016, or a year after the FDA issues the final rule on menu labels.
Vilsack: No rollback on child nutrition
In the face of a proposal to curtail a program allowing free school meals for all children in high-poverty areas, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told lawmakers, "It would be unwise to roll back standards, saddle parents and school administrators with more paperwork or weaken assistance to our most vulnerable children."
Crop insurance a likely target for Obama budget cuts
The Obama administration seems sure to propose cuts in the federally subsidized crop insurance program in its final budget package, which will be released on Tuesday.
West Virginia tops school breakfast scorecard; Utah has worst score
In an annual report on school-breakfast outreach, the anti-hunger Food Research and Action Center said West Virginia did the best job in the country in reaching low-income children, and Utah did the worst.
School kitchens often lack equipment for healthy meals
The White House proposed $35 million for kitchen-equipment grants to schools in its fiscal 2017 budget, a $5 million increase from the current year and "more than any budget provided since the 2009 stimulus hand-out" of $100 million, writes Bettina Elias Siegel, author of the blog The Lunch Tray, in a Civil Eats story.
Four rural districts win USDA school food awards
Rural school districts in Alaska, Iowa, Maine, and Ohio are winners of Healthy Meal Initiatives awards for improving the nutritional quality of meals served to students, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday. Vilsack announced the awards during a speech to school food directors in which he said healthy school meals could combat the rising U.S. child obesity rate.