Child Nutrition Bill Goes to the President; Healthier Choices Ahead for School Children

EINNEWS, December 3--- After the Obamas entered the White House, Michelle Obama launched a campaign to provide healthier food for school children and to make that food available to more of them.
Now, a measure to do just that has cleared both houses of Congress and is on the President's desk.

The bill cleared its final hurdle Thursday, overcoming Republican opposition on a 264-157 vote. It authorizes funds to cover more low income school children and to add six cents a meal for school lunch programs to pay for healthier food choices.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 sets new nutrition guidelines and aims to make it easier for schools to buy locally grown produce. Schools that meet the recommended nutrition standards, which call for more servings of vegetables and whole grains, would get a modest increase in the government school-meal subsidy.

The measure dedicates $4.5 billion over the next decade to try to improve school meals as well as cut down on some of the junk food available to students, giving the Department of Agriculture authority for the first time to bar foods that do not meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The legislation also calls for regulators to alert schools more quickly in the event of food recalls and provides additional food-safety training for lunchroom food handlers.

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