School meal reform and nutrition standards |

School lunch programs have been quite the hot topic in the media lately. Tom Colicchio, a celebrity chef on Bravo’s Top Chef and restaurant owner, is championing the proposed Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act of 2010 (H.R. 5504) and recently testified before the House to do so. In early June, Rachel Ray appeared before the House on behalf of the same bill. If passed, the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act could potentially increase access to nutrition for many children.

Why H.R. 5504 is Important
We know there is a correlation between nutrition and academic success. However, knowledge without action is like a seed without soil, water or light – locked potential. This bill offers a blueprint for the actualization of that which we already know. This “actualization” could be the difference between a mal-nourished child and a balanced child with a healthy and properly tended body and mind. The question is how will it work?

Money
To begin with, the bill proposes increased funding for school lunch programs. Currently, schools are reimbursed a certain amount for each type of meal they serve – free, reduced-price or full-price meals. With more money per meal in reimbursements schools can potentially invest in better food. Better food, as research suggests, means better brain and body development. Better brain development can potentially mean better grades, and the benefits continue to ripple out. This is the first per-meal increase in thirty years, which is significant. However, the increase is six cents per meal. If the bill passes, will that be enough? Will schools be able to use the increased funds to expand their own access to high quality foods?

School Gardens and Local Farms
Money is a powerful motivation. Integration of resources is a powerful solution. According to the official website of the Committee on Education and Labor, the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act will both call in resources from outside the school system and build up resources within the school system. One of the goals of the bill is to “Connect more children to healthy produce from local farms by helping communities establish local farm to school networks, establish school gardens and use more local foods in school cafeterias.” Integrating school gardens into both the culture of a school and the curriculum of an agricultural program are huge strides towards amending the nutritional deficit of America’s children. The Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act of 2010 is attractive for its holistic approach to a complex problem. Increased financial aid, formalized support for local farmers, networking between schools and communities, and school gardens are all rich ideas. Here’s hoping the seeds take root.

Tom Colicchio, in his testimony before the House said: “I hear people say, ‘we’d like to improve the school lunch program, but the kids, all they want to do is eat pizza and burgers. If we give them good food, they won’t eat’. Come on people, we’re adults here. It’s up to us to do better.” We couldn’t agree more here at Planting Progress. It’s up to us to do better. All of us.

You can watch Colicchio’s speech here: