In the News: Banning Soda Purchases From NY Food Stamp Program

Photo Source: http://www.aheadofthecurveatmidlife.com/2010/03/03/soft-drinks-americas-other-drinking-problem/

As many of you have most likely been reading, a hot topic in the news this month has been surrounding NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal to exclude soda and sugary drinks from the state’s list of food stamp-eligible purchases. There are plenty of opinions both for and against the ban as it relates to barring an individual’s purchasing power, the right of the individual to make decisions, etc., but what does this proposal really imply in regards to the future of our nation’s health initiatives?

We at The Organic School Project see this proposal as a great step in the right direction toward promoting better health among our citizens, especially for our children. While sodas and sugary drinks used to be reserved for only certain occasions, these beverages are now being consumed by our nation’s kids in alarming amounts, bringing with it ever-increasing cases of childhood obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay.

Currently, the nation’s food stamp program bans the use of its funds from a number of purchases, such as cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, and certain prepared foods items. By the looks of this list, it’s clear that the program seeks to prevent its participants from making unhealthy purchases, of which sodas and sugary drinks most definitely qualify.

Recognized as a major contributor to both adult and childhood cases of obesity and diabetes, should the purchase and consumption of these drinks (oftentimes cheaper to buy than water!) be regulated similarly to the purchase of tobacco and alcoholic beverages? What do you think?

National School Lunches Week

As some of you may have been aware, the week before last was national school lunches week! While there were many great events promoting healthy food in schools all last week, there are tons of great resources available to learn about, promote, and support healthy lunches in schools, every week of the year!

A great website by the School Nutrition Association where kids can learn healthy eating tips, and ways to ensure they’re eating a balanced meal: http://www.whatsonyourtray.org/

Check out Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign website, as it is a great source for news and updates on the campaign’s progress: http://www.letsmove.gov/

Read up on the USDA’s program to promote physical activities in schools, healthy foods, and overall wellness in children: http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/healthierus/index.html

Healthy Schools Campaign has a program of their own where they do the same promotion of healthy activities, food, and wellness for children in the Chicago Public School system: http://www.goforthegoldcps.org/

Again, we thank HSC for putting together this great list of resources, and we love being reminded of what great company we’re in to combat childhood obesity!

A Big Step

The U.S. isn’t the only one trying to fight obesity; Mexico is too. Felipe Calderon, Mexico’s president, said, "Unfortunately, we are the country with the biggest problem of childhood obesity in the entire world,” with about 26% of all Mexican children being overweight, reports Fox News.

Experts say soft drinks and prepackaged snacks play a big role in the obesity rate.

Mexico wants to ban the sale of junk food in schools, including traditional treats. The Health department wants the ban to go into effect next school year, but first experts will have to approve of the change. The ban can help about 25 million kids!

There are a few things to consider though. One potential problem is that junk food vendors can set up right outside of school gates. Another is only a few schools offer their students hot meals and the students could be ravenous by the end of the day. Imagine very hungry children pouring out of the schools only to be swarmed with junk food.

I am not sure how the ban will play out, but at least Mexico is trying to tackle this.

Read the original news here.

Act now: Critical Time for Child Nutrition

The Senate passed their version of the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act” in August; now the House needs to by tomorrow! School lunch needs your help!

In an editorial piece from the 9/22 edition of The New York Times, the implications and future of the US Senate’s approval of the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act” was discussed.

The act would set new nutritional standards for child nutrition programs (i.e. school lunches), provide an additional $4.5 billion over the next ten years to fund these nutrition programs, as well as expand the number of students eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches.

While the version passed by the Senate is great, the House version is even more comprehensive, expanding the decade-long budget to $7.5 billion for positive nutrition programs and healthier lunches.

Though the Senate and the House approved these versions, this does not mean that both the Senate and the House will pass them.

Child nutrition programs such as National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs are set to expire tomorrow if the House doesn’t pass the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act” by then.

We at the Organic School Project feel that this bill would be a GREAT step in the right direction in combating childhood obesity, ensuring that children get more access to healthy foods at school, and that the current nutrition standards for school meals are given a close look. While we know the bill is not perfect and more funding is necessary, by letting the bill expire we run the risk of schools missing out on millions of dollars in meal reimbursements and the opportunity to finally remove unhealthy food from school vending machines.

This is where you come in. Help us ensure these essential nutrition programs continue in the future. Please contact your U.S. Representative by September 30th and urge him or her to vote yes on the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act” when it comes up for a vote. Your help can move schools ever closer to bringing better foods to school lunch menus nation-wide.

Take a look at the full and summarized Senate and House versions of the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.”

And visit Healthy Schools Campaign for a model email and instructions on how to send it your representatives!

Volunteer Opportunity!

OSP is looking for volunteers to help in the development of our “Grow. Teach. Feed Handbook: An Institutions Guide to Sustainable Food Service!”

As you know, OSP is now in Phase II of our effort to foster healthier, environmentally and nutrition conscious kids and combat childhood obesity. We seek to provide information on food, health, the environment and the relationship between all three, so that children, in addition to having healthier meals, can make more informed and wiser choices in the future.

Our initial step is the development of our “Grow. Teach. Feed Handbook: An Institutions Guide to Sustainable Food Service.” The culmination of five years of work by organic visionary and author Greg Christian, the book seeks to provide school and kitchen staff, as well as teachers and parents, with the resources to Grow, Teach and Feed every child.

The first section, FEED, is a comprehensive training manual for schools to develop a healthful and natural–based, sustainable school foodservice that provides kids with healthier meals. The second section, TEACH, supplements these meals with lessons on nutrition and environmental stewardship to help kids make healthier choices. Finally, the GROW section teaches school staff how to connect kids to the earth and their food source by converting a portion of their school ground into an organic garden that serves as an interactive classroom.

Volunteer your time and gain kitchen and food photography experience with our talented Chef Jerry!

Throughout the month of October, Chef Jerry will be in the kitchen testing and perfecting our “kid proven” recipes that will be included in the "Feed" section of our handbook. During this time, OSP will also be photographing finished products to be used as visual inspiration in our book.

Working closely with our talented Chef , food photographer and founder, Greg Christian, OSP is looking for volunteers who would be willing assist in the preparation and testing of the recipes and the concurrent photo shoots.

By volunteering your time, you will get valuable experience while assisting a socially conscious organization help improve the quality of food served to our nation’s school children.

For more information, or to volunteer, send us an email at info@organicschoolproject.org