Senator Boxer Promoting Healthier Meals for Children   

Wednesday, June 14, 2006  

I recently joined a bipartisan group of Senators in an effort to promote healthier food in our nation’s schools.  The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program began in four states in 2002, then expanded to four additional states in 2004.  In our letter to the Senate Subcommittee on Agriculture Appropriations, we ask that funding be provided to serve an additional six states.

The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program addresses the poor diets of most American schoolchildren.  According to the Department of Agriculture, only 2 percent of children meet all of the dietary recommendations for food groups.  Only 14 percent meet the recommended levels for fruit consumption and only 20 percent reach the vegetable recommendation.  Quite simply, most children’s diets are contributing to the likelihood that they will later suffer from diabetes, obesity, hypertension, cancer, cardiovascular disease, or other health problems.

While serving a relatively small number of schools currently in just eight states, the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is paving the way to better nutrition for schoolchildren.  It provides school officials with sound advice on creating healthier diets and gives them the tools they need, including funds to purchase healthier fruit and vegetable snacks.  An evaluation report by the US Department of Agriculture has found that the program was popular with both students and administrators and that students in the program performed better at school.  More importantly, it appears that this program can help to change fundamental eating routines because the students in the program reported eating more fruits and vegetables at home.

Our goal is to extend this program to all schools across the nation so that all of our children can benefit from it.  Clearly, our young people are not just eating badly; they are also suffering from the ill effects of their diets.  This program can make a vital difference in improving the health of our young people.

Sincerely,