Source:  Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 3/25/10

The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry unanimously approved on Wednesday the Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 reauthorizing childhood nutrition programs.

The legislation was proposed last week by Committee Chairman Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.). It would invest $4.5 billion in new child nutrition program funding over the next 10 years and empower USDA to set national nutrition standards for all foods sold on school campuses.

The legislation also invests in new initiatives to enroll more children in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, provide options for high poverty schools to offer universal free meal service to children and increase the reimbursement rate for the National School Lunch Program.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack applauded the committee action, but repeated the administration's belief that the programs should be funded at $10 billion over 10 years instead of $4.5 billion.

The bill now goes to the full Senate for consideration.

So far, so good

The meat industry has worried Congress might set arbitrary limits on food attributes such as fat content. However, when Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) offered an amendment that would have banned trans fats from schools, Lincoln reportedly said Congress should let the executive branch tackle that issue instead.

Gillibrand withdrew the amendment but vowed to try again on the Senate floor.

Organic victory

The Organic Trade Association celebrated the inclusion of an amendment that would authorize the agriculture secretary to establish a $10 million organic food pilot program, which would provide competitive grants to school food authorities to increase the amount of organic foods provided through school feeding programs. Current nutrition programs receive about $16 billion annually.

According to OTA, several members of the committee noted the organic pilot project ties directly to the goals of various national programs including first lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" program and USDA's "Know Your Food, Know Your Farmer" initiative.

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