Hearing of the House Education and Workforce Committee - Serving Students and Families through Child Nutrition Programs

Hearing

Good morning and thank you, Chairman Kline, for holding this hearing today. I
look forward to examining the continuum of federal child nutrition programs,
which are lifelines for the approximately 40 million children who rely on them
every day for healthy food.

I would like to extend my thanks to all of the witnesses, but I must extend a special
welcome to the First Lady of my home state of Virginia -- Dorothy McAuliffe.

Mrs. McAuliffe has been focusing not only on ending childhood hunger, but also
on improving access to Virginia's fresh and locally grown agricultural
commodities. This dual goal helps children, supports our farmers and strengthens
our local economies.

More than 60 years ago, through enactment of the first federal child nutrition
program -- the National School Lunch Act of 1946 -- Congress recognized that
feeding hungry children was not just a moral imperative but also an imperative for
the health and security of our nation.

Today, a majority of American public school students (51 percent) are eligible for
free and reduced price lunches. According to the latest USDA data, 15.8 million, or
21.6 percent, of children live in households facing a constant struggle against
hunger. The rates are nearly double for African American children at 39 percent
and significantly higher for Hispanic children at 29.5 percent. In my state of
Virginia, 16.2 percent of children are food insecure.

The continuum of federal child nutrition programs and policies that we will be
discussing today are vital to the long-term success of our nation's children and,
through them, our nation itself.

From WIC's prenatal programs, to school and summer meals, and child care food
programs, participation in these programs has resulted in positive health outcomes
for low-income children and a 4 to 1 return on investment.

Hunger is linked to lower student achievement and poorer behavioral outcomes.
These programs are powerful tools in providing greater economic opportunities for
at-risk youth, and helping them break free of the tragic cycle of poverty.

While access to food is vitally important, equally important is access to nutritious,
high-quality food. About 30 million children rely on the National School Lunch
and Breakfast Programs. Students consume up to half of their daily calories while
at school. For many children, school based meals are their primary source of
nutrition.

Foods that are too high in fat and sugar have been linked to weaker educational and
behavioral outcomes. They also lead to childhood obesity and long term health
consequences as adults, including heart disease, hypertension and diabetes.
Approximately 10 percent of our nation's healthcare spending goes toward treating
conditions related to obesity and unhealthy weight.

To address these challenges, in 2010, Congress enacted the Healthy, Hunger-Free
Kids Act. In addition to expanding access to child nutrition programs, the law also
updated and improved the nutritional standards of the foods served to our
children--standards that had not been revised in over 15 years. Most importantly,
the new standards are based on scientific evidence, not politics or fiscal bottom
lines. They include weekly limits on calories, sugar, fat and sodium, require fruits
and vegetables at every meal and incorporate whole grains.

These changes are not promoting an exotic diet fad. They conform to the healthy
eating habits most of us in this room try to follow each day. And, the vast majority
of school districts -- 93 percent -- across the country are successfully implementing
the new healthy meals standards today, with students eating more fruit and
vegetables not just at school, but outside of school too.

As we focus on healthier food for children, we cannot ignore that child nutrition is
also a national security issue. According to Mission Readiness, a group of retired
officers who support the new healthy meals standards, 25 percent of young
Americans are too overweight to enlist in our nation's military.

I am pleased that today we will have an opportunity to discuss the scope and
impact of federal child nutrition programs and hopefully, ways to improve and
strengthen them. As we move through this process, we must keep in mind the
overarching goal of these nutrition programs: to provide children with healthy
foods that can support them as they learn and grow, which in turn supports our
national interests and long-term economic prosperity.

I again thank everyone for being here this morning. With that, I yield back to the
Chairman.

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