The United Fresh Produce Association has welcomed the news that the School Food Modernization Act has been introduced to the senate by senators Susan Collins and Heidi Heitkamp.
In a statement, United Fresh president and CEO Tom Stenzel applauded the decision to champion federal investment in cafeteria equipment in schools, which will ultimately lead to healthier meals – including more fruit and vegetables.
'We applaud Senators Collins and Heitkamp for their bipartisan leadership to help schools upgrade their cafeteria equipment and infrastructure,' he said. 'Students across the country are excited about new fresh produce choices in salad bars, breakfast and lunch options, and even fresh vending. But, many schools need larger walk-in refrigerators, portable salad bars, shelving, and electrical infrastructure upgrades to meet the needs of their students for fresh, high-quality school meals and snacks.
'We strongly support the School Food Modernization Act to provide both loan and grant assistance programmes to schools, as well as a similar bill HR 1783 in the House introduced by Reps. Tom Latham and Mike McIntyre in 2013,' Stenzel added.
Increasing children’s access to fresh fruit and vegetable consumption throughout the school day is seen as a top priority for the country in reaching public health goals.
The new nutrition standards for school lunch and breakfast, as well as Smart Snacks in Schools, are a key step in tackling childhood obesity to prevent the onset of chronic disease and reducing health care costs. School salad bars and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program are helping to transform schools across the country to support children’s health and lifelong food preferences for fresh, healthy foods, United noted.
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