Rea Landholm, gerente de marketing y comunicaciones de marca, [email protected], 402.687.2100 extensión 1025
LYONS, NEBRASKA – Each day, 29 million students participate in the national school lunch program. The Center for Rural Affairs and Nebraska Food Council advocate for the Child Nutrition Act reauthorization, with inclusion of the Farm to School Act and Kids Eat Local Act, to bring responsible food choices into schools.
En la primavera de 2019, el Congreso dio señales de que intentaría elaborar una nueva Ley de Nutrición Infantil. Esta legislación se revisa tradicionalmente cada cinco años y, si bien la mayoría de las autorizaciones de programas son permanentes o se prorrogan mediante asignaciones presupuestarias anuales, no se ha renovado ninguna Ley de Nutrición Infantil desde 2010.
In 2013, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the first Farm to School grants to provide schools and organizations opportunities to bring production and nutritional education programs to classrooms. During the 2013-2014 school year, nearly $790 million worth of local food was purchased from farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and food processors, a 105 percent increase from the 2011-2012 school year.
“The implementation of the Farm to School and Kids Eat Local acts will lay the foundation for a more knowledgeable consumer base,” said Justin Carter, project associate with the Center for Rural Affairs. “In addition, it will bring benefits to producers and allow us to spend funds in our own states and communities.”
La Ley de Alimentación Local para Niños crearía una nueva opción de especificación de productos locales, fácil de usar, que permitiría a las escuelas especificar "cultivado localmente", "criado localmente" o "capturado localmente" en su lenguaje de contratación, y luego adjudicar el contrato al postor que ofrezca el precio más bajo y que pueda cumplir con esa especificación de producto.
“Program expansion would benefit child nutrition and also offer educational programs to students, giving them insight to where their food is grown and motivation to feed their fellow students,” said Carter. “As one rural Nebraska student told us after working in a school greenhouse, ‘We brag it up at lunch that we took care of their food. It’s great seeing something you did.’”
La Ley "De la Granja a la Escuela" de 2019 aumentaría la financiación anual obligatoria a 15 millones de dólares, al tiempo que elevaría la subvención máxima a 250,000 dólares. Ambas leyes cuentan actualmente con apoyo bipartidista.
