Child Nutrition Bill | Healthy Vending Blog

Child Nutrition Bill: What Does It Mean For Schools?

December 23, 2010 By HUMAN 1 Comment

The Child Nutrition Bill and Our Schools

Now that Congress has passed the child nutrition bill and President Obama signed it in to law, schools across the country will start to determine how the new legislation impacts their own meal and vending programs.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act allows the Secretary of Agriculture to establish nutrition standards for foods sold in schools throughout the day, including items in vending machines.

As far as details go, the bill is a good start – but it is not enough to make groundbreaking changes in student nutrition. For low-income students, the bill provides only 6 cents more per meal, and almost half of the $4.5 billion cost during the next decade is coming from cuts in the food-stamp program.

While it does not amount to a complete overhaul of the school lunch program, the child nutrition bill does include many significant improvements for student nutrition. It increases the availability of school lunches by expanding the pool of low-income children eligible for the both free and reduced-price meals, while also stopping the federal government from subsidizing junk food and sugary drinks, whether they are sold in vending machines of from behind the counter.

The Importance of the Bill

The bill was passed just as the Journal of Adolescent Health released a report examining the impact of vending machine foods on 5,930 students at 152 schools. More than 80% of the schools surveyed had vending machines selling foods with minimal nutritional value, including chips, sodas and sweets.

In addition to these funding changes, the nutritional guidelines have been rewritten to include more fruits and vegetables, and less fat, salt, and starch.

School Grants

In response to the passing of the child nutrition bill, traditional vending machines in schools across the country are being replaced by healthy vending machines by HUMAN. Progressive schools are replacing their machines before they are asked to comply to make sure they can take advantage of $10,000 in school grants provided by SPARK for replacing their junk food machines with with healthy vending machines.

Filed Under: ADVICE & EDUCATION, Health & Nutrition, VENDING INDUSTRY, Vending News Tagged With: banning sugar sweetened beverages, child nutrition bill, Congress, Healthy, HEALTHY VENDING, healthy vending machines, Hunger-Free Kids Act, obama, school lunch program, SPARK, student nutrition

New Child Nutrition Law Encourages Healthy Fundraising Projects

December 20, 2010 By HUMAN Leave a Comment

Signed!

The new child nutrition law signed by President Obama on December 13th 2010 gives power to the government, particularly the Department of Agriculture, to determine what can and what cannot be served in our schools. First Lady Michelle Obama has been a champion of this legislation as part of her Let’s Move campaign aimed at ending childhood obesity. Putting this new law into effect is the first step in making our kids healthier.

Unplug the junk machines

Junk Food Machines Unplugged

New guidelines put in place will limit the amount of unhealthy food available to kids during school hours. The main source of unhealthy food is the school vending machine. Typically packed with candy bars, chips and soda, these machines tempt kids throughout the day and put them on a blood sugar roller coaster ride that makes it impossible for them to concentrate. This new legislation will effectively shut off these vending machines during the most profitable times. The only way a vending machine will be left on during the school day is if it serves healthy snacks and drinks. It’s in the schools’ best interests to swap out old junk food machines for new healthy machines so they can continue to earn this much needed revenue.

Fruity Fundraisers

Often schools use fundraisers like bake sales to help students afford extra-curriculars like band camp. And kids are always selling candy to teach basic business principles and to earn prizes. One Green Bay area school is taking these new guidelines to heart. The band at Ashwaubenon High School is selling fruit instead of candy to raise money for a trip. Across the country, schools are making changes and reducing the amount of junk food sold on campus in an effort to fight back against increasing childhood obesity rates.

Healthy Vending

Schools that choose to make healthy vending machines available on campus will not only contribute to the wellness of their students but they will earn hefty profits as well. Healthy food doesn’t mean a drop in revenue, quite the contrary! Sales of organic foods are on the rise and what better place to put them than in front of our youngsters. Healthy food means healthy bodies and healthy brains. The child nutrition law will help make this a reality for our kids.

Filed Under: ADVICE & EDUCATION, Health & Nutrition, HEALTHY VENDING, The Bigger Picture Tagged With: Child Nutrition Act, child nutrition bill, child nutrition law, healthy fundraisers, HEALTHY VENDING, vending machines in schools

Child Nutrition Law: New Nutritional Standards For Schools

December 14, 2010 By Austin Brawner 2 Comments

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act allows the Secretary of Agriculture to establish nutrition standards for foods sold in schools throughout the day, including items in vending machines. The standards require schools to offer more fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products.

Now that President Obama has made this a child nutrition law, schools across the country will start to determine how the new legislation impacts their own meal and vending programs.

Sean Kelly, CEO of HUMAN Healthy Vending, the nation’s first and only, philanthropic, completely healthy vending-machine company says the bill couldn’t have come soon enough.

“With childhood obesity skyrocketing and a shortage of healthy food options in so many schools across the country, this bill is just what school districts need to kick start healthier eating habits,” Kelly says.

School food has a major impact on the nation’s health. More than 80% of the schools surveyed in a report by the Journal of Adolescent Health examining the impact of vending machine foods on 5,930 students at 152 schools, had vending machines selling foods with minimal nutritional value, including chips, sodas and sweets.

Supporters of the child nutrition law said it could reduce the prevalence of obesity among children, as the school lunch program feeds more than 31 million children a day in more than 101,000 public and private schools.

Ahead of the vending health curve, HUMAN manufactures and distributes digitally interactive, eco-friendly vending machines that sell 100% healthy foods and drinks such as all-natural trail mix, organic granola bars, pure fruit juice, organic milk and electrolyte-rich coconut water in their vending machines. They also provide education via 23-inch high-definition LCD screens that display nutritional information and health tips.

“Our mission is to make health foods, drinks, and information universally accessible,” Kelly says. “This bill will provide children with healthier options in schools, so they can develop new habits to lead more balanced healthy, happy lives.”

Filed Under: ADVICE & EDUCATION, Health & Nutrition Tagged With: Child Nutrition Act, child nutrition bill, child nutrition law, childhood obesity, First Lady, healthy vending machine, human healthy vending