Policy Pick: The House of Representatives Passes the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, approved by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama on Dec.13, goes a long way toward providing healthier, more nutritious meals to a greater number of children. The bill will help address hunger and obesity issues, both of which often occur in homes with limited resources, where less-expensive, higher-calorie foods are the norm. The measure significantly improves a number of services, including:

• Promotes breastfeeding by giving bonuses to state WIC agencies with high breastfeeding rates, increases funding for breastfeeding counselors and allows funds to be used to purchase breast pumps.

• Authorizes additional money to expand the WIC program.

• Allows state WIC agencies to certify children for up to one year (an increase from six months), so less people lose eligibility due to paperwork.

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) serves meals and snacks to children and adults in day care settings, as well as children in after-school programs.

• Allows all states the option to serve meals after school through CACFP (currently only 13 states can), and bases community eligibility on free and reduced-price school lunch participation levels.

• Requires the United States Department of Agriculture to revise the nutrition standards for food and drinks served through the CACFP program to make them consistent with the most recent national dietary guidelines.

• Provides education to participating providers to encourage them to serve more nutritious meals and increase physical activities.

The School Nutrition Program provides lunch and breakfast at free or reduced prices to millions of school children nationwide.

• Simplifies the process for subsidized school meals.

• Encourages the development of more nutritious, healthier school meals.

• Ensures free drinking water is available during meal service.

• Increases the amount that can be spent on lunches by six cents per meal for schools that meet forthcoming updated nutrition standards.

• Expands the school breakfast program.

First 5 LA actively supported the Act. In letters to Senate and House Education and Labor Committee leaders, First 5 LA Chief Executive Officer Evelyn V. Martinez urged passage of the legislation that will "help reduce hunger and increase children's access to healthy meals." In addition, First 5 LA called legislators, urging them to vote for the bill when it was up for consideration in the House of Representatives on Dec. 2.

For more information on the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 contact Josh Kruskol at jkruskol@First5LA.org. To see the support letter to Congress that First 5 LA endorsed (circulated by Feeding America) click here.

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