3 Ways to Support Healthy School Food
March 11, 2020 | Written By: Abby Callard
At the end of January, the Trump Administration released a proposed rule that aims to weaken school food standards and open the floodgates for less healthful options to be served across school cafeterias.
In 2018, the administration rolled back standards on whole grains, sodium and milk. This time, the administration is targeting vegetables, fruits and serving certain entrees—like pizza—outside of a meal.
The rule is not yet final, and we have the opportunity to shape what’s included in the final rule. There are a few ways you can do that. We hope you’ll join us and I hope you’ll join us in raising your voice in support of healthy school food!
Write a Letter to your Elected Officials
We’ve created a template letter that you can edit and send to your elected officials. While this is a rule proposed by the USDA and does not require approval by Congress, Senators and Representatives can and should raise their voices and apply pressure to the administration to drop the proposal so schools and districts can continue making positive changes and serve healthy school food.
Submit Official Public Comments
You have until April 22 to submit an official comment about the proposed rule. We’ve made it easy for you and included text that you can edit and submit. Editing or adding to the suggested text will help your comment garner more attention.
I strongly oppose USDA’s proposal to further weaken school nutrition standards that serve millions of American kids. If finalized, this rule would jeopardize the progress schools have made to provide healthier food to children and mean more pizza and French fries and fewer vegetables and fruits being served in schools across the country.
Providing healthy food in schools is so important. Research shows that improved nutrition in schools leads to increased focus and attention, improved test scores and better classroom behavior. Access to healthy food in schools is especially important for students from underinvested communities, the majority of whom are students of color, where healthy foods may not be widely available.
Write a Letter to Sonny Perdue
Our partner, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, created a letter you can edit and send directly to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.
