Michelle Obama Speaks Up for School Food at White House Garden Harvest Day

June 17, 2009 | Written By: Healthy Schools Campaign

Yesterday was harvest day at the White House kitchen garden, and Michelle Obama took the opportunity to raise awareness of the particular challenges and opportunities ahead for children’s health. Mrs. Obama celebrated harvest day with the fifth graders from Bancroft Elementary School who have been helping her look after the garden and spoke with them in detail about school food.

Here at HSC, we were very encouraged to hear what the First Lady had to say about child nutrition:

And the USDA’s National School Lunch Program serves approximately 30 million meals each year to low-income children. And because these meals are the main source of consistent nourishment for these kids, we need to make sure we offer them the healthiest meals possible.

So to make sure that we give all our kids a good start to their day and to their future, we need to improve the quality and nutrition of the food served in schools. We're approaching the first big opportunity to move this to the top of the agenda with the upcoming reauthorization of the child nutrition programs. In doing so, we can go a long way towards creating a healthier generation for our kids.

We couldn’t agree more with Mrs. Obama’s statement about the importance of serving the healthiest school meals possible.

We were also thrilled to see the First Lady, who has spoken in general about the value of healthy eating, speak in specific terms about the Child Nutrition Act and the role of legislation in bringing that value to the nation’s children at school.

HSC urges Congress to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act with increased funding for better food in schools. You can lend your voice to this campaign by sending a letter at our Child Nutrition Act action center.

For a detailed account of the harvest day celebration and the political significance of Mrs. Obama’s remarks, check out Obamafoodorama.