We recently submitted this public comment in opposition to USDA’s proposed rule that would have negative impacts for children around the country who eat school meals, particularly children in low-income families. You can submit your own comment online here. A helpful toolkit can be found at the Food Research and Action Center’s website here.
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Tina Namian
Chief, School Programs Branch Policy and Program Development Division
USDA, Food and Nutrition Service
RE: Docket No. FNS-2019-0007
To Ms. Namian:
We write from the Collaborative Center for Justice, which is a faith-based social justice advocacy organization located in Hartford, CT. We are sponsored by six Congregations of Women Religious across the state. We write in strong opposition to USDA’s proposed rule: “Simplifying Meal Service and Monitoring Requirements in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs”. We are deeply concerned about the harmful impacts that such changes would have on low-income children and families across Connecticut and the country.
We know that school meals have important benefits to children, including increasing their mental and physical health (1). The proposed rule would diminish important nutrition standards that have been a critical part of keeping children healthy and ready to learn. We oppose efforts to reduce the amount and types of fruits and vegetables available in school meals. We also urge you to reinstate the requirements that schools serve whole-grain-rich foods, and follow current regulations on sodium and calorie levels for meat and meat substitutes that are served. If healthy, balanced meals are not available at school, many kids will be more at risk of developing health issues. Not only do health conditions greatly impact individuals and families, but they also add financial costs to the health care system, and to state and federal governments, as the need for treatments rises. Thus, we urge you to think about requiring healthy, balanced school meals as not only the right thing to do, but also as a preventative measure that will save insurance companies, communities, and the federal government money in the long-term.
We also urge you to maintain the requirements that schools offer meals that meet the nutritional requirements of the various age groups in that school. Different aged children have different nutritional needs, and thus we believe it is necessary to maintain requirements that schools attend to these different needs.
We are particularly concerned about the impacts on low-income children, who may not have access to a variety or adequate supply of healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, at home. These children are more likely to rely on receiving a balanced, healthy meal at school in order to meet their full nutritional needs. Research is clear that children who eat breakfast are more ready to learn (2). The proposed changes will likely have a greater, negative impact on low-income children, including greater risk of health issues and food insecurity, as well as being less ready to learn. It is in the best interest not only of the children, but of the community, state, and country to ensure that our children are receiving balanced, healthy school meals.
As people of faith, we recognize the dignity and basic human rights of all people. As a country, we must recognize that degrading the nutritional value of school meals programs will have harmful impacts on children and collateral impacts on communities. We must take particular care to ensure that the most vulnerable among us, such as low-income children, have access to a wide-range of healthy foods.
We urge you to withdraw this proposed rule. Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
Respectfully submitted,
Dwayne David Paul – Director
Rachel Lea Scott, MSW – Associate Director
References: (1) and (2): “School Meals are Essential for Student Health and Learning.” Food Research and Action Center. https://frac.org/wp-content/uploads/School-Meals-are-Essential-Health-and-Learning_FNL.pdf
