With National Nutrition Month underway, we’re excited to launch a new website about an issue that’s close to every parent’s heart: Step Up to the Plate for School Meals. Since Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in 2010, our kids are eating more whole grains, being served less salt, and getting the fruits and vegetables they need to excel in the classroom.
Step Up to the Plate features success stories from the more than 93 percent of schools already meeting the new standards, like Anne Frank Elementary in Philadelphia, where Principal Mickey Komins and his staff are committed to helping students make healthy eating a lifelong habit. Our Nutrition Across the Nation map helps you see how your state measures up in terms of the number of students participating in the national school lunch and breakfast programs, and what we can do to help schools serve the most nutritious, delicious meals possible.
Most important of all, Step Up to the Plate makes it easy to contact your lawmakers to tell them why it’s so important that they re-authorize the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. Studies have shown that students consume up to 50 percent of their daily caloric intake at school. Strong nutrition standards help provide a balanced diet that will let students grow and learn in the healthiest way possible. We know that for some kids, the breakfast and lunch they get at school is the only nutritious meal they receive.
At a time when 30 percent of children ages 2-19 years are considered overweight or obese, Congress needs to do whatever it can to ensure we’re fighting this national epidemic. Take action today, share with your friends on social media, and help us spread the word that on school meals, the time to step up is now!
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