USDA Official, Congressman McIntyre Visit North Carolina School to Highlight Investments to Improve the Health and Well-being of America's Children
Elizabeth, NC, March 7, 2011 – USDA Under Secretary, Kevin Concannon and Congressman Mike McIntyre visited Elizabethtown Primary School in Elizabethtown, N.C. today to celebrate School Breakfast Week (March 7-12) and National Nutrition Month (March). During their visit they highlighted the importance of USDA's nutrition assistance programs that touch the lives of 1 in 4 Americans last year, including the nearly 32 million kids that participate in school meal programs every school day.
"Participating in the School Breakfast Program is an important vehicle to help meet the nutritional needs of children," said Kevin Concannon, USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services. "Thanks to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act signed into law by President Obama, we have made significant investments to improve the health and well-being of America's children so that we can win the future and out-educate the rest of the world."
During National Nutrition Month in March, USDA will educate people on the need to include a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and low-fat milk in their meals each day. These recommendations are included in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans that were recently released by USDA and HHS, which focuses on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. Through its 16 nutrition assistance programs, USDA promotes access, resources and pathways for low-income Americans to lead a more healthful lifestyle.
The School Breakfast Program is a federally assisted meal program that provides nutritious breakfasts to 12 million children in more than 88,000 public and non-profit private schools and residential child care institutions each school day.
USDA's Food and Nutrition Service oversees the administration of 15 nutrition assistance programs, including the child nutrition programs. Improving child nutrition is also a focal point of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act passed Congress and signed in to law by President Obama. This legislation authorizes USDA'S child nutrition programs, including the Summer Food Service Program and the National School Lunch Program. It will allow USDA, for the first time in over 30 years, the chance to make real reforms to the school lunch and breakfast programs by improving the critical nutrition and hunger safety net for millions of children. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act is the legislative centerpiece of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! Initiative.
USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) oversees the administration of 15 nutrition assistance programs, including the school meals programs that touch the lives of one in four Americans over the course of a year. These programs work in concert to form a national safety net against hunger.