Healthy Food Wins in Schools

Healthy food advocates have been holding their breath for several pieces of legislation to make it through the current lame-duck session of Congress. And last week some of that hard work and anticipation paid off as Congress passed and President Obama signed into law the $4.5 billion dollar Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, also known as the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act 2010. The act is an important step towards the transformation of school meals nationwide, and one that has been at the forefront of health food and child health advocates for months, as well as high up on the agenda of Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campagin.

The Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act not only addresses the very real issue of hunger in our country, but goes further to also help revamp the quality of food served in schools. In a time when a growing number of families are economically vulnerable, the importance of ensuring that school kids have access to healthy foods, both during the school year and throughout the summer months, is paramount.

Currently, however, much of the food that is served in school cafeterias isn't all that healthy, although it meets the most basic nutrition standards. But let's not kid ourselves, canned fruit is not the same as fresh fruit; overcooked canned green beans don't have as many nutrients as fresh frozen steamed greenbeans. And really, fresh, organic produce is the tops. Beyond fruits and vegetables, much of the food that ends up on school lunch trays is over processed, and lacking in whole grains, among other nutritious elements. The bottom line is that real, whole, healthy foods can be quite hard to find in schools.

The new act aims to change that, requiring that the USDA update the nutrition standards for school meals and offering incentives for schools to meet those standards. Other food available on school campuses may also be required to meet nutrition standards, i.e. vending machine snacks and sodas.

Even more exciting is that this law will allocate funds for school gardens and farm-to-school infrastructure for public schools, building the capacity for local farms to provide local, fresh produce to school cafeterias. The law also dramatically cuts down on the cumbersome amount of eligibility paperwork that low-income families have previously had to fill out in order for their child (or foster child) to receive free or reduced lunch benefits.

While some funding for the program is still somewhat up in the air (the President insists that any funding borrowed from the SNAP benefits program will be replaced, the ambiguity of which was the only real road block in passing the bill through Congress), the signing of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act is certainly a triumph. To address the overall health of our country, we must start with the health of our children, and schools are now primed to provide more healthy food and be a better example for nutritious, healthy eating habits.