I’m honored to be speaking about my work to supporters of the Flagstaff Family Food Center, as part of the 2nd Annual Northern Arizona Anti-Hunger Summit. It’s at Grace Community Church, 4295 W Rte 66, Flagstaff, at 10:00 a.m. Registration is here.
by Marion Nestle
May
7
2014
What’s up with school meals and standards?
USDA deserves a thank-you note: the agency announced it is awarding $25 million in grants to help schools buy kitchen equipment. Yes!
The grants are a response to a report by the Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project – a collaboration with The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The report found that 88% of school districts nationwide need at least one piece of equipment, and 55% need infrastructure upgrades.
You can send a quick note of thanks to the USDA Office of Communications at oc.news@usda.gov.
Thanks are needed because nutrition standards for school meals are under intense pressure from:
- Lobbyists for foods that will be excluded under the new standards
- The School Nutrition Association which is heavily supported by companies sellling foods to school meals programs
- A Congress that loves to micromanage federal food programs (see yesterday’s post).
School meals need help, but not that kind.
