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Future shutdown means hungry American children
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FOR many kids, school food provides the main source of nutrition they receive on a daily basis. During the recent US government shutdown, this program had been especially critical for our children due to cuts in key supplemental nutrition programs as well as the sudden disappearance of millions of paychecks.
But even our school lunch program was in jeopardy, and could be again if the nuttiness in Washington leads to another partial shutdown. Some school districts reported that if the shutdown were not resolved by November 1, their free and reduced-price lunch program would take a major hit.
Suddenly the pervasive dysfunction in Washington could result in hundreds of thousands of hungry children.
Make no mistake: The school breakfast and lunch programs feed millions of children who really need it. During the economic decline, the number of children registering for the National School Lunch Program has climbed Ñ up 25 percent in some states.
And itÕs not just the ability to provide food, but what kids actually get to eat at school, which fortunately has been improving. Over the past year, 50 million school kids saw the promise of a healthier lunch menu thanks to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.
Vital nutrition
The program requires schools to serve more fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains as well as more sources of lean protein, and encourages school gardens and nutrition education programs.
New federal regulations for school lunches and vending machines start taking effect next year. Under the new rules, vending machine food has to be healthier, and contain mostly fruits, vegetables, protein, or dairy, or contain at least 50 percent whole grains. There is an outright ban on soda and caps on calories that come from sweetening additives, saturated fat, sodium, and sugar.
Thankfully, obesity rates are starting to decline. The Centers for Disease Control studied the issue and found the obesity rate for poor children fell in 18 states and the Virgin Islands between 2008 and 2011.
The CDC reports that new nutrition standards played a role in many states, including Mississippi, which saw its childhood obesity rate drop by 13 percent in only five years.
We all know that fresh food, if prepared properly, delivers more nutrients, reduces carbon emissions, connects schools to their communities and benefits the local economy. Studies have proven that what kids are eating impacts their test scores; their ability to concentrate; the levels of school violence; and studentsÕ good feelings about themselves.
Given the impact that the shutdown had on our countryÕs poor children and their ability to eat, it was ironic that National School Lunch Week was observed from October 14-18. We are reminded what a vital program school lunch is and how it can be transformed to better meet nutritional needs.
The week is a largely untapped opportunity to continue the badly needed conversation about our childrenÕs health.
It creates a nationwide platform to continue the revolution that has been started.
Copyright: American Forum.
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