School Lunch Update
Slow Food USA posted this recent update on the Child Nutrition Act:
Yesterday, the House Committee on Education and Labor, which is tasked with updating the National School Lunch Program, finally passed its Child Nutrition bill (H.R. 5504) by a bipartisan vote of 32 to 13. The bill proposes to establish healthier nutrition standards for school meals, to kick junk food out of school vending machines, and to help schools connect with local farms and plant school gardens. It would also provide a very modest increase (six cents) to the funding schools receive to serve each lunch ($2.68, about a dollar of which goes to ingredients).
This article discusses some of the specifics of the bill, which will need to be passed on the floor by September 30th to avoid further delay.
Here is where you can contact your legislators and demonstrate your support for healthier school lunches.
Bringing The Farm To Scho
Bringing The Farm to School...Literally!
Yesterday, a group of us met at Cordley Elementary School to talk to the kids about their upcoming Farm-to-School lunch on Friday, May 21st. We held 30 minute in-class presentations in each of the 16 class rooms, and the response was unbelievable. Nancy from the Merc provided us all with "kits" containing many of the raw ingredients for the meal, including; a tomato plant, whole wheat berries and flour, Iwig milk and butter, Alma cheese, local honey, and fresh strawberries and rhubarb. We walked the kids through the meal, discussing how the individual ingredients contributed to the meal as a whole, and we even provided samples, which the kids loved! All of us had amazing experiences sharing with the kids and letting them smell, touch, and taste many of the food products. In keeping with the theme, Deena, from Hilltop Farm was there to pop into classrooms with an extra special surprise- baby chickens! Overall, a great success- the kids seem genuinely excited about the farm-to-school lunch and we were thrilled with the opportunity to share our support for local and healthy food.
Healthy School Lunches
Healthy School Lunches: Here's a little taste of what's been happening with the Child Nutrition Act as it makes its way through Congress...
