Obama Expected to Sign Child Nutrition Bill into Law

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (S. 3307), which first lady Michelle Obama called “a groundbreaking piece of bipartisan legislation that will significantly improve the quality of meals that children receive at school and will play an integral role in our efforts to combat childhood obesity.” President Barack Obama (D) is expected to sign the $4.5 billion bill, approved in a 264-157 vote on December 2, 2010. The measure was approved by the U.S. Senate in August.

The legislation allows the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to set new
nutritional standards for all foods sold in schools, including lunch lines and
vending machines, and will require schools to offer more fruits, vegetables,
whole grains, and low-fat dairy products. Its provisions also make it easier
for qualified children to receive free school meals and provide funding for 21
million after-school meals annually in all 50 states. “This legislation will allow
USDA, for the first time in over 30 years, the chance to make real reforms to
the school lunch and breakfast programs by improving the critical nutrition
and hunger safety net for millions of children,” USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack
said in a statement.

Other provisions include (i) “increasing the federal reimbursement rate for
school lunches by 6 cents for districts that comply with federal nutrition
standards”; (ii) “requiring schools to make information more readily available
to parents about the nutritional quality of school meals, as well as the results
of any audits”; and (iii) “improving WIC by making it easier for children to get
recertified as eligible for the program, requiring greater use of EBT technology
(debit cards), and expanding support for breastfeeding.” See White House Press
Release; USDA Press Release; The Associated Press, December 2, 2010.