President Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act this morning (Dec. 13), raising federal reimbursement for school lunches and setting the table for more servings of fruits and vegetables at U.S. schools. The $4.5 billion legislation, which passed the House on Dec. 2, was signed by Obama at a ceremony at a Washington, D.C. school.
Lorelei DiSogra, vice president of nutrition and health for Washington, D.C.-based United Fresh Produce Association, said earlier that the legislation's six cent increase in the federal reimbursement rate for school lunches has the promise to dramatically improve the well being of more than 31 million U.S. school children.
Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., current chairman of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee and primary author of the legislation, issued a statement after the signing that the legislation is a critical step toward addressing the epidemic of childhood obesity by establishing national nutrition standards for all foods sold on school campuses throughout the day.
"This bill ensures that our children will receive healthier, more nutritious meals and removes the red tape that prevents so many from participating in nutrition programs," Lincoln said in the statement. She said the bill provides for an additional 29 million meals a year through the afterschool programs.
The legislation will help parents feed their children better by getting junk food out of schools, Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy for the Washington, D.C.-based Science in the Public Interest, said in a statement. She said the leadership of the Obama Administration, including first lady Michelle Obama, was critical in the fight to pass the bill.
Jon Scholl, president of the Washington, D.C.-based American Farmland Trust, said one benefit of the act was the inclusion of the Farm to School Program. That provision will offer $40 million in competitive grants to increase the use of local foods from small and medium sized farms in school feeding programs, he said.
Lorelei DiSogra, vice president of nutrition and health for Washington, D.C.-based United Fresh Produce Association, said earlier that the legislation's six cent increase in the federal reimbursement rate for school lunches has the promise to dramatically improve the well being of more than 31 million U.S. school children.
Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., current chairman of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee and primary author of the legislation, issued a statement after the signing that the legislation is a critical step toward addressing the epidemic of childhood obesity by establishing national nutrition standards for all foods sold on school campuses throughout the day.
"This bill ensures that our children will receive healthier, more nutritious meals and removes the red tape that prevents so many from participating in nutrition programs," Lincoln said in the statement. She said the bill provides for an additional 29 million meals a year through the afterschool programs.
The legislation will help parents feed their children better by getting junk food out of schools, Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy for the Washington, D.C.-based Science in the Public Interest, said in a statement. She said the leadership of the Obama Administration, including first lady Michelle Obama, was critical in the fight to pass the bill.
Jon Scholl, president of the Washington, D.C.-based American Farmland Trust, said one benefit of the act was the inclusion of the Farm to School Program. That provision will offer $40 million in competitive grants to increase the use of local foods from small and medium sized farms in school feeding programs, he said.
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