Archives for August, 2009

“The agricultural giant, Syngenta, has petitioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture to grant its new genetically modified corn a non-regulated status. This means that the company’s new seeds could be grown without management or geographic restrictions across the country. Some food experts, and farmers, fear that if this corn is grown without limits, it could end up in the food supply.”

To learn more and to hear the program in its entirety, please visit Living on Earth.

Every four to five years the programs contained in the Child Nutrition Act are subject to evaluation and must be re-authorized by Congress.  While the School Breakfast Program and the National School Lunch Program are permanently authorized, a bevy of other child nutrition programs that directly affect the health and wellbeing of children must be continually re-authorized. Given the nation’s burgeoning obesity and childhood diabetes levels, there is a demonstrated need for programs that both deliver high-quality food as well as enhance children’s educational experience with regard to healthy eating habits.  Re-authorization of the Act represents an opportunity to encourage and support comprehensive programs that focus on incorporating nutritious food, healthy habits, active lifestyles, and increased local purchasing.

What are the benefits of school meal programs?

School meal programs are a central way of addressing childhood nutrition in America.  More than 30 million children eat school food five days a week, 180 days a year, and many of the meals provided are to low-income children at a free or reduced price.  Herein lies a great opportunity to influence the patterns of how children eat.  In programs that partner schools with local farmers to provide healthier meal options, consumption of fruits and vegetables rose (+0.99 to +1.3 servings/day), knowledge and awareness of healthy eating and local foods increased, willingness to try new and healthier options improved, and consumption of unhealthy foods and sodas fell.

How does the Act effect local consumption?

Expanding healthy options by enhancing meals with locally grown food is beneficial to the children served, the farmers, and the local community.  Consumption of local produce has an array of positive outcomes, and the economic benefit to local growers is beneficial to the entire community.  The stability of providing food to local institutions permits growers to diversify, helps build positive relationships between growers and the community, and allows for the establishment of grower collaboratives to supply institutional markets.  The benefits are compounded by the increased stimulation of the local economy, through both higher income and increased tax revenue.

How to support the Act

Support of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act means supporting programs and policy imperatives that will help shift children’s eating habits in a more positive direction.  Passage of this Act with create congressional funding for local food and school garden grants, a farm to institution initiative within the Secretary of Agriculture’s Office, and increase school food procurement.  For more information, please visit www.onetray.org.