Deadline for Public Comment on USDA Reauthorization of Child Nutrition Programs

Wednesday October 15th (by 11:59 PM) is the deadline to make public comments to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on the 2009 Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). This is the regulation for the school meal programs.

To leave a comment, click HERE.

In your comments:

• Ask for universal free meals.

• Ask that a plant-based entrée, free of artificial ingredients and animal ingredients, be required on the menu each day, and that peanut butter and jelly or a bagel and margarine, or other such items.

• Ask that artificial ingredients not be allowed: no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, sweeteners, or transfats. 

•  Ask that the food contain no partially hydrogenated oils.

• Ask that the focus be on fresh and unprocessed, or minimally processed foods.

• Ask that non-dairy calcium fortified beverages be available to all students.

• Ask that the USDA stop supplying red meat as part of the commodity program.

• Finally, ask for more funding. The amount of money that schools have to actually spend on food for lunch is just 90 cents per student. The rest of the money goes to labor and overhead. Out of that 90 cents, 20 cents comes in the form of commodity foods. In New York State, the top 4 commodity foods are: beef, chicken, cheese, and white potato products.

Thanks for taking a moment for this!