Three Cheers for the Healthy School Meals Act

by Katherine Gustafson · 2010-03-24 10:00:00 UTC
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Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) is stepping up to the plate on the issue of school food, which has become an increasingly hot-button issue as more and more activists, teachers, public figures and, now, TV shows point out that we are feeding our kids crap every day in the very place that we're teaching them how to behave.

Polis has introduced the Healthy School Meals Act of 2010, H.R. 4870, which proposes to reward school districts with extra food aid for offering most students "plant-based vegetarian food choices" every day.

The bill, which calls for the creation of a pilot program to help select schools provide students high-fiber, low-fat vegetarian food and nondairy milk options, has garnered inspired widespread support, with over 30 others signing on, including Rep. John Conyers (D-MI).

Even celebrities are throwing their weight behind the bill. Actress Scarlett Johansson has written a letter (PDF) asking Rep. George Miller (D-CA) to support the legislation.

"Children depend on adults to provide them with the nutrition and sustenance they need to reach their full potential," Johansson wrote. Her letter-writing effort is part of a campaign mounted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) to get healthier food into schools as Congress takes on the reauthorization of the federal Child Nutrition Act.

Photo: Cl@re Bear via Flickr

Katherine Gustafson is a freelance writer and editor with a background in international nonprofit organizations.
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