The school lunch program

Healthy food makes healthy kids, right? That’s right, but for kids to eat healthy foods, they must first have access to them. Unfortunately, healthy foods are hard to come by in today’s school lunch program. School cafeterias are woefully underfunded, even with the assistance of the Child Nutrition Act. Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1963, the Child Nutrition Act is a federal law that grew out of the National School Lunch Program, which is responsible for feeding more than 30 million children each day in more than 101,000 public schools and private. However, with inflation and cuts in school budgets, it only provides schools with about $1 per student. Cafeterias simply can’t afford the fresh, healthy food kids need. Sometimes schools have no choice but to participate in the Department of Agriculture’s commodity program for items like meat and cheese. These items come from farmers’ surplus stocks, and while it can be a profitable method of getting food at a good price, it can be disastrous, as demonstrated in 2008 when one of the largest suppliers of meat to the National Lunch Program Schoolchildren was caught sacrificing the sick. cows

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act

The good news is that there is a bill up for a vote in the House of Representatives that would add $4.5 billion over the next 10 years to help feed America’s school children. It would be the first non-inflationary increase in funding for the school lunch program by the federal government in 30 years. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act passed the Senate unanimously in August 2010 and was scheduled for a vote in the House in late September. It seemed like a no-brainer, especially since the Senate approved the bill through a process called unanimous consent in which they agreed to pass it without a voice vote. The bipartisan bill has since been delayed in Congress and will not be voted on by the House until after the November 15 election. This legislation is very close to the heart of First Lady Michelle Obama, who hopes Congress will pass this bill as a crucial part of her Let’s Move campaign. Her goal is to end childhood obesity within a generation and allocating more money for healthy foods in our children’s schools will go a long way toward reaching that goal.

This bill also addresses the lack of adequate funding for low-income students. US Senator Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., Chair of the US Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, explained that this legislation “invests heavily in new initiatives designed to automatically enroll more eligible children income in our National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs and includes a major expansion of after-school feeding programs.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act will also increase nutritional standards in schools by allowing the Secretary of Agriculture to set nutritional standards. The Department of Agriculture continues to modify and improve the nutrition standards for school meals by including more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and less sugar and processed foods. In fact, this legislation could mark the end of the era of junk food vending machines in schools.

The future of the school lunch program

Assuming Congress passes the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in November, school children across the country will benefit from healthier food options as cafeterias will have sufficient funds to purchase higher-quality food. The $4.5 billion will be distributed over the next 10 years and should put us on the path to reducing childhood obesity rates. However, school administrators need more help to make good use of these additional funds. Since they are used to buying mostly frozen foods in bulk, they will need to establish relationships with distributors who also deal in fresh foods. Uniting local farmers with schools can help bridge the gap between meat and produce, and the hungry children who will eat it for lunch. Unfortunately, fresh, healthy foods tend to cost more than frozen processed foods, so it’s important for schools to know how to source these foods without breaking their budgets. If schools are encouraged (or forced) to get rid of their junk food vending machines, they need ideas on what types of machines to replace them with. There are vending machines available that offer healthy items like baked chips, nuts, and dried fruit, as well as beverage vending machines that dispense milk, juice, and water instead of sugar and chemicals. Some helpful tips, as well as a list of farmers and distributors willing to participate in the school lunch program, will help school administrators make good use of their new funds.

If Congress does not pass this important legislation, it is crucial that we teach our children what kinds of foods are healthy and what foods will make them grow big and strong. Schools can also help in this effort by eliminating junk food vending machines on their own. Replacing them with healthy vending machines is a big step forward in limiting the sugar and empty calories kids consume when they’re allowed to make their own snack choices. School administrators and food service workers are doing the best they can with their budgets, but there are ways to improve children’s health even without $4.5 billion in government help.