Policy Platform

Helping schools serve healthier food is a big step towards solving the child obesity epidemic. But first, we need Congress to improve the National School Lunch Program when it passes its Child Nutrition bill this year.

A strong Child Nutrition bill should invest at least $1 billion per year in healthier food, link schools to local farms, and strengthen nutrition standards for all the food sold at school.

Right now, schools receive $2.68 for each lunch served – only about $1 of which goes towards ingredients. School meal providers deserve credit for the incredible work they put in to stretching that dollar, but the fact of the matter is that many schools still rely on the cheap processed foods that are fueling the obesity epidemic. That’s a major threat to the health of our children and to the future security and economic prosperity of our country.

To help our children get back on track towards good health, the Child Nutrition bill must include:

• A full investment of at least $1 billion per year in order to help schools serve healthier food. President Obama has proposed investing $1 billion per year, but school meal providers say a truly healthy school lunch program requires $4 billion per year. That’s the goal we need to work towards, because that’s what schools need. Investing in healthy food now will save hundreds of billions in health care costs down the line.
  
• Stronger nutrition standards for all the food sold at school, including the food sold in school vending machines.
  
• Mandatory funding of $50 million over five years for Farm to School programs, which create local jobs and help schools teach healthy eating.