Baton Rouge, La. – On October 11, 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) joined youth, parents, schools, communities, and partners across the
country in honoring National School Lunch Week 2016,
as proclaimed by President Obama,
a time to reflect on the positive steps our nation has taken to make nutrition
a priority in every U.S. school. This also coincides with the month-long
celebration of Farm to School Month, which recognizes efforts to bring local
foods into schools and onto students' trays.
"This is a time to reflect on the important role of the National School
Lunch Program and Farm to School initiatives in improving the health of
children across the country, as well as creating new opportunities for farmers
and ranchers to provide schools with fresh, nutritious food," said
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "USDA recognizes the dedicated school
nutrition professionals who are committed to creating a healthy environment for
all children, teaching them the importance of good nutrition, and helping them
form the healthy habits they need to thrive in the classroom and beyond. We
also celebrate the success of farm to school initiatives, which support local
economies and are truly a win-win for America's schools, farmers, producers,
communities, and children. We will continue to work tirelessly until consistent
access to nutritious food is a reality for every child in America."
The more than 50 million children who attend schools that participate in the
National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs are experiencing school
environments that are healthier than ever. These students have access to
balanced meals that reflect the latest nutrition science in the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans as well as recommendations from pediatricians and
National Academy of Medicine. The meals feature more fruits and vegetables,
whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat milk. Many of these items can be
locally-sourced through farm to school programs.
The fresh, local foods offered through farm to school programs help school
meal programs provide healthy, appealing, and diverse offerings. Results of the
2015 USDA Farm to School Census
show that more than 42,000 schools nationwide have a farm to school program.
These schools report reductions in food waste, higher school meal participation
rates, and increased willingness of the students to try new foods, notably
fruits and vegetables. In the 2013-14 school year alone, these programs
invested nearly $800 million back into local economies, helping 23.6 million
students develop healthy eating habits and learn where their food comes from.
Building on the progress around the country, this summer, USDA issued two
additional final rules: Smart Snacks in Schools and Local School Wellness
Policy. For the last few years, schools have been serving breakfasts and
lunches that meet the updated standards under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act
of 2010; in fact, more than 99 percent of schools nationwide currently report
meeting those new nutrition standards. The recent regulations put in place by
the Smart Snacks in Schools Final Rule and Local School Wellness Policy Final
Rule take healthy school environments one step further by holding snacks served
in schools and food or beverage marketing students are exposed to during the
school day to standards that are consistent with those for school meals.
Healthy school meals are particularly important for the more than 13 million
U.S. children who live in food insecure households; for some, school meals may
be all nutrition they receive in a day. To help reduce hunger, USDA's Community
Eligibility Provision (CEP), an optional cost-sharing partnership between the
federal government and school districts in high-poverty areas, allows eligible
schools in lower income areas to serve nutritious lunches and breakfasts to all
students at no cost. Not only does CEP help break down barriers that can
prevent children in need from accessing school meals, it also greatly reduces
the administrative burden on schools and families. Close to 8.5 million
students from more than 18,000 schools across the country participated in the
program in school year 2015-16.
USDA provides a number of resources to schools to help support continued
progress. For example, USDA's Team Up for School Nutrition Success initiative
offers mentor-based training and action planning for school food service
professionals. In addition, USDA provides grants to support healthy school
environments. USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) recently awarded $6.7
million in grants through the
Team Nutrition Training Grants
to expand and enhance training for school nutrition and child care
professionals. They are also currently accepting applications for up to $5
million in
Farm to School Grants.
Farm to School Grants and support for local food in schools are part of
USDA's
Know
Your Farmer, Know Your Food (KYF2) Initiative, which coordinates the
Department's work to develop strong local and regional food systems. Over the
course of the Obama Administration, USDA has invested close to $1 billion in
40,000 local food-related projects on farms and in communities across the
country. You can find local and regional supply chain resources on the
newly-revamped
KYF2
website and use the
KYF2
Compass to locate USDA investments in your community.
To learn more about the latest accomplishments of USDA's nutrition
assistance programs, see the new infographic,
The Impact and Legacy of USDA
Nutrition Programs from 2009 to 2016. An extended narrative by Secretary
Vilsack on the progress in fighting hunger and improving the health of
America's children over the last eight years can be found on
USDA's
Medium page.
FNS administers 15 nutrition assistance programs. In addition to the
National School Lunch Program, this includes the School Breakfast Program;
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; Special Supplemental Nutrition
Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC); the Summer Food Service Program,
and others. Together, these programs comprise America's nutrition safety net.
For more information, visit
www.fns.usda.gov.
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