Right now, Rep. Cindy Axne (IA-03) introduced her help for a complete, evidence-driven reauthorization of federal baby diet packages that meets the wants of kids and households.
The Wholesome Meals, Wholesome Youngsters Act (H.R. 8450) builds on Rep. Axne’s work to broaden faculty and summer season meal packages, improve entry to federal diet packages just like the Particular Supplemental Diet Program for Girls, Infants, and Youngsters (WIC), and forestall baby starvation.
Greater than 75 percent of Des Moines Public School students qualify totally free or reduced-price lunches this 12 months.
“Whether or not youngsters are sitting within the classroom attempting to be taught, or having fun with their summer season breaks, they shouldn’t be going hungry,” mentioned Rep. Axne. “The Wholesome Meals, Wholesome Youngsters Act modernizes our faculty meal packages, public diet packages, and helps stop childhood starvation. Youngsters are our future, and we’d like to ensure we’re investing in them to allow them to develop and be taught with out having to fret about the place their subsequent meal will come from.”
Even earlier than the pandemic, greater than 2.7 million households with children didn’t have dependable entry to nutritious meals. Furthermore, the pandemic worsened pre-existing inequities in meals insecurity. Each Black and Hispanic households with youngsters reported meals insecurity at charges roughly twice that of white households with youngsters all through the pandemic.
The Wholesome Meals, Wholesome Youngsters Act will assist deal with each pre-existing inequities in addition to meals insecurity spurred by the pandemic. Particularly, the laws will:
- Increase entry to high school meals,
- Protect the way forward for faculty meal packages,
- Modernize the Particular Supplemental Diet Program for Girls, Infants, and Youngsters (WIC),
- Deal with meals insecurity throughout the summer season,
- Enhance faculty meal capability and sustainability, and
- Strengthen the Little one and Grownup Care Meals Program (CACFP).
Earlier this 12 months, Rep. Axne despatched a letter to Congressional management, urging an extension of critical waivers on the U.S. Division of Agriculture to offer faculties the flexibilities they want to ensure America’s college students are fed. Shortly after, Congress handed the Keep Kids Feed Act, cosponsored by Rep. Axne, to proceed offering important waivers and guarantee youngsters don’t go hungry. Â
Learn the actual fact sheet for the Wholesome Meals, Wholesome Youngsters Act here.
Learn the part by part for the Wholesome Meals, Wholesome Youngsters Act here.
Learn the invoice textual content for the Wholesome Meals, Wholesome Youngsters Act here.
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