Support School Food Reform Bill

Please urge your Members of Congress to cosponsor Senator Harkin and Representative Woolsey’s “Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection” bills that would improve the nutritional quality of school foods by updating the nutrition standards for all foods and beverages sold in schools throughout the school day, including in vending machines, snack lines, and school stores. The current standards are out dated and out of sync with current nutrition science and with children’s diets and health concerns.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Cosponsor Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection bill

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I urge you to cosponsor Senator Harkin and Representative Woolsey's "Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection" bills that would improve the nutritional quality of school foods by updating the definition of "food of minimal nutritional value" to be consistent with current nutrition science. Nutrition science has evolved significantly since 1979, when USDA defined "foods of minimal nutritional value" (FMNV).

As you know, over the last two decades, rates of obesity have doubled in children and tripled in adolescents. And children's poor diets are negatively affecting their health. Currently, low-nutrition foods are widely available outside of the school meals programs in vending machines, snack lines, and school stores. The most common items sold out of these venues are high in calories, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, refined sugars, or sodium, which contribute to health problems such as obesity, heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and tooth decay.

The federal government invests significant resources in the school meal programs and has strong nutrition standards for those meals. Selling low-nutrition foods through other venues in schools undermines that investment, undermines parents' ability to feed their children a healthy diet, and undermines children's health.

Again, I urge you to cosponsor the bill to update the definition of "food of minimal nutritional value." I look forward to hearing your position on this legislation to promote children's health.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
August 11, 2005

Background Information

The Harkin and Woolsey “Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection” bills would improve the nutritional quality of school foods by updating the nutrition standards for all foods and beverages offered in schools throughout the school day. The bill will be introduced sometime this fall.

Over the last two decades, rates of obesity have doubled in children and tripled in adolescents. This increase has been fueled by physical inactivity and increased calorie intake. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) surveys have found that children (2 to 18 years) consumed an average of 118 more calories per day in 1996 than they did in 1978. Also, children’s diets are poor overall; only 2% of children (2 to 19 years) meet the USDA’s five main recommendations for a healthy diet.

Children’s poor diets are negatively affecting their health. One-quarter of children ages five to ten years show early warning signs for heart disease, such as elevated blood cholesterol or high blood pressure. The prevalence of pediatric type 2 diabetes is increasing dramatically, fueled primarily by the extraordinary rise in the number of overweight and obese children.

Currently, low-nutrition foods are widely available in schools. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s School Health Policies and Programs Study, nationally, 43% of elementary schools, 74% of middle/junior high schools, and 98% of senior high schools have vending machines, school stores, or snack bars. The most common items sold out of these venues include soda, imitation fruit juices, salty snacks, candy, and high-fat baked goods.

The federal government invests significant resources in the school meal programs ($9.4 billion in FY 2004 for school lunch and breakfast, including cash payments and commodities), and has strong nutrition standards for those meals. Selling low-nutrition foods in schools undermines that investment. Low-nutrition foods and beverages in schools also undermine parents’ ability to feed their children a healthy diet.

The current definition of FMNV is arbitrary and no longer makes sense from the standpoint of nutrition, science, current dietary patterns of children, and health. The only nutritional criteria for FMNV are that they provide less than 5% of the reference amount for eight specified nutrients per serving. The definition ignores other important nutritional considerations, such as calories, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, refined sugars, and sodium. Scientific evidence demonstrates that excessive consumption of those constituents contributes to health problems such as obesity, heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and tooth decay.

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