CABINET SECRETARIES ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP ON SCHOOL NUTRITION AND CHILD OBESITY
News Date November 10, 2009
The Secretaries of USDA, Department of Education, and Health and Human Services have announced that they will work together on a plan to improve school nutrition and reduce child obesity. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stressed that this would be more than just a simple nutrition program, stating “it is an education and health program”. The new plan will work to reduce the rate of obesity in children by offering higher quality meals. Education Secretary Duncan has stated that he is also considering making nutrition and exercise requisites for awarding competitive federal grants to schools.
The subsidized school lunch program currently serves 31 million children, many of whom depend on it for two to three meals each day. President Obama expressed his support for child nutrition programs earlier this year, proposing a $1 billion increase in order to make the program accessible to more children and to improve meals provided. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) will hold hearings on reauthorization of child nutrition programs beginning Nov 17. (By: Ethan Mathews, Contact: Amy Mann)