The
White House
Office of the Press Secretary
First Lady Michelle Obama, Administration Officials and Let’s Move! Advocates Reaffirm Commitment to Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids
“Today is a great day for kids throughout our country as they will
soon have healthier, and more nutritious food in their schools. As we
continue to focus on the twin issues of childhood obesity and hunger,
we will increase access to good, quality meals in school cafeterias so
the nutritional needs of our youngsters are better met. The President
and First Lady have advocated strongly for passing the Healthy,
Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, and, this bill, along with the resources
and the powers provided under it, are going to allow USDA to be much
more effective and aggressive in responding to obesity and hunger
challenges for America’s kids.”
- U.S. Secretary Of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
“The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act is a significant step forward in
our effort to help America's children thrive and grow to be healthy
adults. Thanks to the dedication of this Congress and First Lady
Michelle Obama, more kids will have access to healthy, balanced,
nutritious school lunches. By increasing the number of students
eligible to enroll in school meal programs and improving the quality of
food served, this legislation simultaneously tackles both hunger and
the obesity levels currently affecting too many communities across this
nation.”
-U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius
"The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act makes the most significant investment in the National School Lunch program in more than 30 years. I look forward to continuing to work with the First Lady and Secretary Vilsack to combat our national childhood obesity epidemic and increase students access to the nutritional food they need to help them learn.”
- U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
“As Vice Chair of the Partnership for a Healthier America, I join
President Obama and the First Lady in celebrating the signing of the
Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. This bi-partisan legislation will
significantly enhance the quality of food for our children for
generations to come and is a dramatic step forward in reducing
childhood obesity. As a physician, I know smart nutrition leads to
healthy and productive lives. With 36.5% of our children in Tennessee
being overweight, this act goes a long way in ensuring that kids in
Tennessee and around the country will have the healthy nutrition they
deserve.”
- U.S. Senator Bill Frist (R-TN)
“Childhood and adult obesity are national problems and growing epidemics, but the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act will help end this epidemic by improving the quality of food served to our children in schools across the nation. Here in Newark, we are defeating childhood and adult obesity, by partnering with organizations and community leaders to create local-based change that empowers families, neighborhoods and youth to embrace a healthier lifestyle. I applaud First Lady Michelle Obama’s commitment to the children of our city and across the country.”
- Mayor Cory A. Booker of Newark, New Jersey
“On behalf of Mission: Readiness and over 100 retired generals and
admirals who support child nutrition legislation as a matter of
national security, we are very pleased that the nation has taken this
important step in addressing the nation’s obesity epidemic. Being
overweight or obese is the No. 1 medical reason why young men and women
are unable to join the military. Research shows that up to 40 percent
of what children consume every day takes place during school hours and
that 80 percent of children who were overweight between the ages of 10
to 15 were obese by age 25. The final bill includes provisions that can
get junk food out of schools, nourish more kids who need healthful
meals and motivate them and their parents to adopt healthful eating and
exercise habits. Military concerns about the fitness of American
children are not new. When the National School Lunch Act was first
passed in 1946, it was seen as a matter of national security. At the
time many military leaders recognized that poor nutrition was a
significant factor reducing the pool of qualified candidates for
service. Our country is facing another serious health crisis. Obesity
rates threaten the overall health of America and the future strength of
our military. We must act, as we did after World War II, to ensure that
our children can one day defend our country, if need be.”
-Retired Army Generals John M. Shalikashvili and Hugh Shelton, Former
Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
“Congratulations to First Lady Michelle Obama, Secretary of
Agriculture Tom Vilsack and to the bi-partisan support in the Congress
to pass the Healthy, Hunger Free Children Act. By passing a bill
that
addresses the nutritional quality of school lunches, an important step
is being taken to give children choices that will make them healthier
and more productive.”
-Mike Huckabee, Governor of Arkansas 1996-2007
“The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act makes significant progress toward
ending child hunger and obesity by expanding access to federal child
nutrition programs and improving the nutritional value they provide. In
addition to reauthorizing federal child nutrition programs, the act
will help address childhood obesity by reducing the fat and calorie
content of school meals. Reversing the childhood obesity epidemic in a
single generation – as First Lady Michelle Obama has called upon our
nation to do – won’t be easy. It will require a long-term, sustained
commitment to attacking this issue across multiple fronts. The Healthy,
Hunger-Free Kids Act makes great strides toward eliminating this threat
to our children's health.”
- O. Marion Burton, MD, FAAP, President, American Academy of Pediatrics
“The historic signing of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act helps
schools become part of the solution to the childhood obesity epidemic.
It is a victory for American parents working to make sure their kids
grow up healthy, and for schools wanting to provide students with more
nutritious meals and a healthier environment. With the implementation
of this law, our nation's kids will be less likely to grow up with
early risk factors for heart disease and stroke.”
-Nancy Brown, Chief Executive Officer, American Heart Association
“Today marks a major step forward in efforts to prevent both
childhood obesity and hunger among our nation’s children. The signing
of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act into law is a long-awaited victory
for the 31 million students who participate in federal school meal
programs. By giving the USDA the authority to update standards for all
foods and beverages in schools, this new law says unhealthy foods have
no place in our nation’s schools. And schools finally will have more
resources to serve nutritious and appealing meals.”
- Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., President and CEO, Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation
“Getting junk food out of schools has been ten years in the making.
This bill is a historic step toward reducing childhood obesity and
helping parents' feed their children better. It's the result of the
hard work of many, but would not have passed without this
Administration. The President's leadership and First Lady's tireless
advocacy brought the child nutrition bill back to life a number of
times as it made its way through Congress.”
-Margo G. Wootan, Director of Nutrition Policy, Center for Science in
the Public Interest
“The School Nutrition Association joins families nationwide in
thanking President Obama, the First Lady and Secretary of Agriculture
Tom Vilsack for their sustained efforts to pass child nutrition
reauthorization and expand children’s access to healthy school
meals.
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act recognizes the importance of school
meals to the health and academic success of America’s children and
gives school nutrition programs critical resources to bring more fresh
produce, whole grains and low-fat dairy products into cafeterias.
School nutrition professionals look forward to working with the
Administration, parents, principals and community leaders to meet new
nutrition standards for school meals and explore new avenues for
promoting healthy lifestyles for our children.”
- Nancy Rice, M.Ed., RD, LD, SNS, President, School Nutrition
Association (SNA)
“The provisions of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act will support
efforts already underway in Dallas. The additional funding will
help
with continuing to improve our school meals and creating a healthier
school environment. We appreciate the fact that child nutrition
has
been placed as a high priority by the First Lady and the President. New
USDA meal patterns and professional standards will assure improved
quality child nutrition programs for our children which in turn will
support student academic performance in the classroom.”
-Dora Rivas, MS, RD, SNS, Executive Director, Food & Child
Nutrition Services, Dallas Independent School District
“Our kids aren’t hungry because we lack food or because of a lack of food and nutrition programs. They are hungry because they lack access to programs that provide the nutritious food they need to grow and thrive. I would like to thank the President and First Lady for making Child Nutrition a top priority. Through their leadership and commitment we now have the first significant change in school meals in thirty years. This legislation is historic and will allow me to continue to offer more real foods to the kids in our schools.”
- Timothy Cipriano, Executive Director of Food Services, New Haven Public Schools
“The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act signals a deep commitment to our
nation's children and provides increased access to the food and
nutrition programs that often go underutilized. Our kids aren't hungry
because we lack food or because of a lack of food and nutrition
programs. They are hungry because they lack access to the nutritious
food they need to grow and thrive. The First Lady’s persistence
made
all the difference between this legislation’s good intentions and its
becoming the law of the land.”
-Bill Shore, Founder and Executive Director, Share Our Strength
“This bill is an acknowledgement that in a nation as bountiful as
ours, no child should worry about when their next meal will be. We are
grateful for the hard work of our coalition partners, the White House,
and Congress.”
-Rabbi Steve Gutow, President, Jewish Council for Public Affairs,
Co-Chair Fighting Poverty with Faith
"This bill is an exciting victory for hungry children. After a
largely gridlocked year, passage of this bill is a positive sign that
Congress can work together in the best interests of Americans."
-Rev. Mark S. Hanson, Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America
“This critical legislation ensures that more of our nation’s children have access to healthy nutritious food and reaffirms our commitment as a nation to addressing the problem of childhood hunger. It is unacceptable that one in four children in poverty in America are hungry. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 is an essential step in helping the 43.6 million American families who struggle every day to feed their children.”
- Father Larry Snyder, President, Catholic Charities USA, Co-chair Fighting Poverty with Faith
“Today's signing of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act is something
to celebrate, whether you are one of the 31 million schoolchildren who
stand to benefit from it, or their parents, or America’s farmers. The
bill establishes sensible nutrition standards for the food sold in
school that will help push the junk food out of the building and make
it easier for kids to have access to a nutritious meal or snack in
school. The increase in funding for school lunch may be modest,
yet it
is also the first such increase in sixty years—a long-overdue
recognition of the importance of the school lunch program in assuring
the health of our children. The bill also recognizes the value of
linking farms directly to schools as a way to get the freshest,
tastiest vegetables and fruits into the cafeteria—a boon to both
children and local farmers. The bill represents an important
achievement for the First Lady’s Let’s Move! campaign, and the First
Lady and her team are to be congratulated. It is also a victory for all
the grass roots organizations and activists who work so hard to improve
access to healthy food for everyone. There is still much to be done,
but what has happened today marks a significant step forward, toward a
food system that puts the health of our children first.”
–Michael Pollan, Author and Journalism Professor
“The way we feed our children today will dictate the country we have
tomorrow. This was much more than a bipartisan effort. With the First
Lady’s leadership, parents, teachers, child advocates and chefs all
helped to pass a bill that will provide a children with what should be
a fundamental right: the right to be fed in a healthy way. While I am
happy we were able to squeeze a few more dollars for school lunch
programs, I think we can do better. We need to band together on these
issues to make sure we don’t shortchange our kids.”
- José Andrés, Principal, Think Food Group
“From the First Lady’s Chefs Move to Schools initiative to the President’s Childhood Nutrition bill, the Obama Administration has instigated a much-needed attitude change towards proper nutrition. As a chef and as a mother of four, I understand the importance of providing my own children with wholesome meals and firmly believe that all of our nation’s children should be afforded the same opportunity to grow up healthy which is why this legislation is so important.”
-Cat Cora, Founder, “Chefs for Humanity” and UNICEF spokesperson
“I am pleased to support President and Mrs. Obama and the efforts
of their Administration in securing healthier nutrition for this
nation's children. We still have much work to do to guarantee that all
Americans have access to adequate, high-quality food, but the Healthy,
Hunger-Free Kids Act is an important first step in that direction."
-Tom Colicchio, Chef/Restaurateur and Host of Top Chef