Pew Praises Bipartisan Senate Bill to Reauthorize Child Nutrition Act

Press Releases and Statements Read time:

Navigate to:

  • Table of Contents
Pew Praises Bipartisan Senate Bill to Reauthorize Child Nutrition Act
School_meal_prepThe Pew Charitable Trusts

Students get school lunches that meet strong nutrition standards in Riverside, California.

WASHINGTON—The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee unveiled legislation Jan. 18 to provide a five-year reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, which expired Sept. 30 and governs the national school lunch and breakfast programs.

The bill would expand support for the healthy meals and snacks required under the updated nutrition standards implemented since the fall of 2012. While not mandating specific changes to the standards, the proposal does instruct the U.S. Department of Agriculture to revise guidelines for meals’ whole grain and sodium content. It also contains key elements of the School Food Modernization Act, legislation sponsored by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) that would establish loan assistance and grant programs to help school districts upgrade their food service facilities and augment staff training opportunities.

Jessica Donze Black, director of Pew’s school nutrition project, issued the following statement:

“This proposal ensures that good nutrition remains the core ingredient in school meal programs. Importantly, the committee included authorization for funding to help the professionals who lead these complex programs get the tools they need to succeed. About 9 in 10 districts nationwide report needing additional kitchen equipment to prepare healthy meals, but few can afford these investments without financial assistance.

“Impressive progress has been made in just four years under current school food standards. Research shows that students are eating more fruit and finishing off larger shares of their entrees and vegetables. Cafeteria menus are offering a wider variety of delicious, nutrient-packed foods that all kids need. And the high-calorie treats that used to fill vending machines and a la carte lines are a thing of the past.

“In short, the nation’s science-based school nutrition standards are working. Most Republicans and Democrats—on the committee and across the public as a whole—want to see schools continue to make progress, and they will under this bill. Pew applauds the committee’s determination to give all students healthy options throughout the school day and encourages leaders in the House of Representatives to closely follow the bipartisan course put forward by the Senate.”

###

More information on child nutrition programs and the School Food Modernization Act is available at www.pewtrusts.org/school-food-legislation.

The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today’s most challenging problems. Learn more at www.pewtrusts.org.

America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
school lunch
healthy school lunch
Article December 1, 2015

Healthy School Lunches Improve Kids’ Habits

Strong nutrition standards work, evidence shows
Quick View
healthy school lunch
Article December 1, 2015

Researchers from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity weighed and photographed lunches served to children at 12 Connecticut schools in spring 2012, 2013, and 2014. Compared with 2012, children ate nearly 13 percentage points more of their entrees and 18 percentage points more of their vegetables by the last year of the study. (See Figure 1.) Food waste declined as a result.

Related Resources

Americans’ Views on School Food and Child Nutrition The School Food Modernization Act
RELATED
Topics
U.S. Policy
Tags
Children's health
Places
United States

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

A presentation being given by a businesswoman to a group of participants at a business conference.

Fact Sheet

April 12, 2024 Four Plan Features Can Boost 'Retirement Readiness'
An illustration of a couple holding hands walking away from an outline of houses behind them

Podcast

March 22, 2024 Pathways to Homeownership: Housing in America
A landscape with mountains and clouds. BLM Rule Puts Conservation, Other Land Uses on Equal Footing

MORE FROM PEW

A presentation being given by a businesswoman to a group of participants at a business conference. Four Plan Features Can Boost 'Retirement Readiness'
A large group of people in formal or traditional attire stands together on a stage, with a digital background depicting marine life and the large text “WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.” WTO Needs to Redouble Its Effort on Fishing Subsidies
A man in a winter hat and sunglasses kneels on a rocky shoreline in front of a campfire, holding a metal mug with gloved hands. Behind him, in the water, a motorboat is moored to the shore. Cliffs rise on both sides of the water. Why Newfoundland’s South Coast Fjords Are Sacred
A pink sea coral made up of many branches—with a slender sea star clinging to those branches—fans out against the black backdrop of the deep ocean. Fishery Managers Can Help Prized Fish—and Biodiversity
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics
Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?

Pills illustration
Pills illustration

What Is Antibiotic Resistance—and How Can We Fight It?

Sign up for our four-week email series The Race Against Resistance.
Quick View
Pills illustration

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” are a major threat to modern medicine. But how does resistance work, and what can we do to slow the spread? Read personal stories, expert accounts, and more for the answers to those questions in our four-week email series: Slowing Superbugs.