Eos in the News
Eos Joins Coalition to Advance Child Nutrition Act
Without proper nutrients, children suffer from malnutrition, childhood obesity, and low achievement in school. Federal nutrition programs that offer reimbursements for school lunches, breakfasts and after school programs are one of the most important mechanisms for addressing these challenges—and that’s why the Eos Foundation recently joined forces with the Child Nutrition Initiative, an education and advocacy campaign to support passage of the 2010 Child Nutrition Act, the core federal program helping children, especially from low income families, access quality food.
The Child Nutrition Initiative recently conducted a nationwide poll that revealed widespread public support for school nutrition programs. In fact, 82% of Americans believe schools have a responsibility to ensure children are eating properly throughout the school day, and 83% support expanding the Child Nutrition Act to “provide healthier food and cover more kids.”
Alongside partners including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the California Endowment, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Eos supports increasing the overall budget of the Child Nutrition Act, while maximizing participation in school meals programs and improving their nutritional standards. Specific measures that can make a real impact include increasing the current federal reimbursement rate to pay for healthier school meals, ensuring school food service staff have the training and equipment they need to prepare and serve healthier meals, and funding “Farm to School” programs to boost local economies and provide a supply of nutritious food.
As Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said at a recent event in support of the 2010 Child Nutrition Act, “The health of our nation--of our economy, our national security, and our communities--depends on the health of our children. We will not succeed if any of our children aren't learning as they should because they are hungry. This reauthorization is a critically important opportunity to improve the health of our children and reduce hunger in this country.”
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