City Council Passes D.C. Healthy Schools Act

by Sarah Parsons · 2010-06-07 13:30:00 UTC
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Forget greasy chicken nuggets paired with soggy french fries. Lunches served in Washington, D.C.'s school cafeterias are about to get healthier.

Last week, the D.C. City Council voted unanimously to institute a tax to fund the D.C. Healthy Schools Act. The decision means that all sugar-sweetened beverages sold in the city will carry a six percent tax. Money raked in from said soda tax funds an innovative plan to create more sustainable, nutritious meal programs throughout the city's schools.

Under the D.C. Healthy Schools Act, which was originally signed into law in May, school districts are encouraged to provide vegetarian meal options in cafeterias on a weekly basis, and must provide vegetarian or dairy-free meals for students upon request. The act also allocates more funding to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, which will be served up at meal times. Plus, the Healthy Schools Act establishes local nutritional standards for meal programs and funds a school gardens program to help kids learn about healthier eating and food production. The newly passed soda tax ensures that the plan will have adequate funding for all initiatives outlined under the D.C. Healthy Schools Act.

Schools across the country are in desperate need of school lunch reform in order to combat America's growing obesity epidemic. In Washington, D.C., 43 percent of students are overweight. Serving up pizza egg rolls and mozzarella sticks with french fries undoubtedly contribute to the city children's weight problems.

Earth Day Network created a petition on Change.org a while back to encourage support for the D.C. Healthy Schools Act and passage of a soda tax to fund the initiative. The petition garnered nearly 1,500 signatures and sent e-mails to D.C. City Council members, with a victory being reached on June 2nd.

Non-profits like Farm Sanctuary hope passage of the D.C. Healthy Schools Act will create more support for the federal Healthy School Meals Act (H.R. 4870). Under this bill, an amendment to the Child Nutrition Act, the federal government would provide financial incentives for schools that offer plant-based and non-dairy options in cafeterias.

Congrats to all the readers who signed onto Earth Day Network's petition to the D.C. City Council. Let's hope that eventually, school cafeterias throughout the nation will switch from unhealthy, heavily processed lunches to healthy, sustainable fare.

Photo credit: typofi via stock.xchng

Sarah Parsons is Change.org's Sustainable Food Editor. Her work has appeared in Popular Science, OnEarth, Audubon and Plenty.
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