As most of us know, and hear everyday, childhood obesity has become more than a problem in our country. It is now considered an epidemic! With rates steadily on the rise, it is no surprise that children today are at greater risk of developing chronic diseases. But what are we, as a country, doing about it? Children spend majority of their day in schools, leaving them dependent on school food for lunch, and possibly even breakfast. Sadly, schools have not been meeting the standards for providing healthy meals to our kids. The Healthy School Meals Act of 2010 has been created to improve the health of America’s schoolchildren by raising the nutritional quality of food through the promotion of plant-based meals and healthful dairy alternative beverages in schools. The Act will help introduce plant-based (i.e. – fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts) to schools, as well as increase the availability and affordability of it. Additionally, incentives will be provided for including these foods in daily school menus, and nondairy beverage options will be more readily accessible.
CHEFs For Schools will be hosting a letter writing campaign in late February in order to show our support for this bill. Please see the calendar for more information.
