Renew law for healthy school meals

Since the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, 95 percent of U.S. schools are meeting the updated and widely accepted nutrition standards that are serving healthier meals to our nation's school children. We must ensure that Congress builds on this tremendous progress as they work to reauthorize federal child nutrition programs this year.

Consider these two facts: First, childhood obesity rates have more than tripled since 1980. Second, childhood obesity rates have finally stabilized after decades of dramatic increases.

The prevalence of overweight among Iowa high school students (self-reported height and weight) was 14.5% in 2011; another 13.2% of high school students were obese (self-reported height and weight). Childhood obesity greatly increases the odds of our children getting heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and other costly and life-threatening health problems later in life.

Now consider the role that school meal standards can play in the foods that will be available to kids while at school, the eating behaviors that are developed and ultimately their health. School meals provide healthy food to nearly 32 million American children who are consuming up to one-half to two-thirds of their daily calories at school.

When Congress last reauthorized child nutrition programs in 2010, it directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to update the standards for school meals and other snack foods sold in schools to include more whole grains and less calories, unhealthy fats and salt. The significance of the updates is undeniable: students are eating healthier, less food is being wasted and a great majority of parents support the current school nutrition standards. When children are able to meet dietary guidelines in school, their academic and social performance improves. Furthermore, pediatricians and nutrition experts nationwide agree that the standards are making children healthier.

This is why Iowa's members of Congress must work to maintain the improvements to school meals as they reauthorize child nutrition programs.

Five years ago, Congress voted with bipartisan support to update school meal standards for the first time in 15 years to match the best available science. To continue making headway, Congress should work to provide any struggling schools with additional resources to help them meet the updated standards, including updated kitchen equipment, other technical assistance and peer-to-peer mentoring, to ensure that all children have access to healthy foods.

Child nutrition programs address hunger, poor nutrition, childhood obesity, health care costs and national security by supporting children's wellbeing and ability to learn and grow into healthy and productive members of society. Congress must focus on strengthening these programs and reject efforts to weaken or roll them back.

' Barbara Chadwick is president of the Iowa Public Health Association. Comments: (319) 389-0887; iowapha@gmail.com