Local farms, federal nutrition

A release from One Tray...

"One Tray, the national campaign to improve child nutrition by encouraging a more direct connection between local farms and federal nutrition, today launched two short videos depicting the cafeteria tray as the centerpiece for a reformed school food system that supports healthy children, local farms and smart schools.

" 'Lunch Encounters,' a spoof of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and 'Priceless,' a MasterCard parody, were created by three of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy’s Food and Society Fellows, Shalini Kantayya, Nicole Betancourt and Debra Eschmeyer, to raise awareness of Farm to School programs for the upcoming reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act.

"The Child Nutrition Act, which expires Sept. 30, determines what more than 30 million children eat at school five days a week, 180 days a year, making school meals a critical entry point for improving children’s health. The Priceless video communicates that more than 30 percent of these children are overweight or obese, and for some low-income children, school food accounts for more than half of their daily calories. The videos explain the significance school food has in their diets and seek to ensure that those calories consumed are healthy ones."

"The One Tray campaign advocates for that future tray of Farm to School policy solutions that support:

Mandatory Funding for Farm to School Programs
Increased Reimbursement Rates
Strengthened Nutrition Standards for School Meal Programs and Competitive Foods

To show support, sign on to the petition at onetray.org."