Senator Urges Congress to Support Funding for School Nutrition Programs

Senator Urges Congress to Support Funding for School Nutrition Programs

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today continued her campaign to preserve the health and well-being of our nation's children by urging increased funding for critical US Department of Agriculture child nutrition programs in the coming fiscal year. In a letter sent to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies, Senator Clinton called on them to continue to support and expand a number of school programs that fall under the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. The Subcommittee is scheduled to consider funding options in the Fiscal Year 2006 Agricultural Appropriations bill today.

"These programs provide healthy food options in school cafeterias, they teach kids about good nutrition, they show them the importance of agriculture and they also support local farms by keeping food dollars within the community," Senator Clinton said.

"Nutrition education programs, which cost mere cents per child, are critically under-funded despite being vital in the campaign to create healthy eaters and physically active adults from today's youth," Senator Clinton said. "The cost of improving the health of our children now is far less than the cost of the health consequences to come if we do nothing. I call on my colleagues to look closely at the funding levels for these programs and help create a healthy future for our children."

In her letter, Senator Clinton specifically requested support for The Fruit and Vegetable Program, Team nutrition network, Nutrition promotion, Healthy school nutrition environment demonstrations, Farm-to-cafeteria projects, School garden grant demonstration, and Access to local foods. These programs focus on the nutrition, education, and overall well-being of American children.

In her letter, Senator Clinton noted that obesity rates are increasing in America's youth, who are consuming significantly less fruit and vegetables than the United States Department of Agriculture suggests in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines. This has been closely linked to the rise of Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol rates among children, which increases their risk for additional chronic diseases later in life. Senator Clinton hopes that we can decrease these problems by encouraging healthy eating options for our kids in our schools.

[A copy of Senator Clinton's letter to the Chairman and Ranking member is attached]

June 20, 2005

The Honorable Robert Bennett
Chairman
Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies
Committee on Appropriations
SD 188
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Herb Kohl
Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies
Committee on Appropriations
SH 123
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Chairman Bennett and Ranking Member Kohl:

I write to urge you to support and expand funding for important programs in FY2006 that promote sound nutrition and healthy eating in our nation's schools.

Childhood obesity is reaching epidemic proportions among America's youth, with obesity rates doubling among children and tripling in adolescents over the past 20 years. Childhood obesity ahs been closely linked with the increased occurrence of Type 2 diabetes and increased rates of high cholesterol and high blood pressure among children. Overweight children and adolescents are more likely to become overweight adults, which increases their risk for serious chronic diseases later in life.

The January 2005 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Dietary Guidelines, which by federal law are the basis of USDA food programs and nutrition education programs, place a strong emphasis on the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. Yet, according to the USDA only fourteen percent of children meet the recommended levels for fruit consumption and only twenty percent for vegetables. Studies have shown that fruit and vegetable consumption plays a role in the prevention of many chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, hypertension, obesity and diabetes. Children with unhealthy eating patterns tend to maintain those unhealthy habits into adulthood. We need to encourage healthy eating options for our kids, in our schools.

Specifically, I would like to see the continued support and expansion of the following important school programs from the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 that affect the nutrition, education and overall well-being of our children:

• The Fruit and Vegetable Program. This program provides free fresh fruit and vegetables in eight states and on three Indian reservations. It is currently authorized at a level of $9 million. Unfortunately, at current funding levels, the Fruit and Vegetable Program can only serve a small fraction of our nation's children in just a limited number of schools. We need to expand this program to all states.

• Team nutrition network. This program will provide grants to states for nutrition education activities for children, and for training and technical assistance to states, schools, and community.

• Nutrition promotion. This program enables the Secretary to make annual payments to states, using a formula based on a state's proportion of meals served under the Richard B. Russell School Lunch Act, to promote nutrition in food service programs.

• Healthy school nutrition environment demonstrations. This program provides funds to conduct demonstrations in elementary and secondary schools to create healthy school nutrition environments and evaluate the impact on the health and well-being of the students.

• Farm-to-cafeteria projects. This program allows USDA to provide one-time grants of up to $100,000 to eligible community organizations working with schools to develop food procurement relationships with local farmers, develop infrastructure to store and prepare fresh foods, develop seasonal menus and promotions materials and develop hands-on nutrition education related to agriculture.

• School garden grant demonstration. This program provides $15 million for a demonstration to provide grants to states, schools or nonprofit organizations to support school gardens.

• Access to local foods. This program provides competitive matching grants to schools and nonprofits for projects that improve access to local foods for schools and institutions participating in federal meal programs and support nutrition education programs.

I appreciate your consideration of these important programs and urge you to support fresh food choices at our nation's school and healthy lifestyles for American kids.

Sincerely yours,

Hillary Rodham Clinton

http://clinton.senate.gov/~clinton/news/2005/2005622410.html