Foodlinks America – April 23, 2010
Foodlinks America - April 23, 2010 
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In this issue:
• Military Urges Child Nutrition Expansion
• Postal Workers to Pick Up and Deliver Donations
• Proposed Legislation
• SNAP Shots
• FEEDBAG: A Compendium of Notes on Nutrition Assistance Programs
• Reports from the Field – Wilmington, DE
• Small Bites
Foodlinks America is published 24 times a year by California Emergency Foodlink in Sacramento, CA and distributed by Weinberg & Vauthier Consulting, 122 South Main Street, No. 9, Burnet, TX 78611; Zy Weinberg and Barbara Vauthier, Editors; email: bvauthier@tefapalliance.org.
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Military Urges Child Nutrition Expansion
Claiming that millions of young Americans age 17 to 24 – prime candidates for military recruitment – are “too fat to fight” and would be rejected for military service due to weight problems, a group of 130 retired generals, admirals, and other senior military leaders has endorsed a sizeable increase in funding for school meal programs to assist in strengthening our military. “When that many young adults can’t fight because of their weight, it affects our national preparedness and national security,” said retired rear admiral Jamie Barnett, representing the group, titled “Mission: Readiness, Military Leaders for Kids.”
“Our national security in 2030 is absolutely dependent on reversing the alarming rates of childhood obesity,” claimed Barnett, who called on Congress to pass legislation reauthorizing the Child Nutrition Act, including the Obama Administration’s recommendation to increase funding by $10 billion over ten years. Mission: Readiness also endorsed adoption of nutrition standards for food sold in schools as recommended by the Institute of Medicine.
School meal programs owe their existence to defense policy; the National School Lunch Act was passed in 1946 in response to large numbers of draftees failing to qualify for military service in World War II due to diet-related health problems. Back then, the main concern was not obesity but malnutrition.
The more traditional child nutrition supporters welcomed the show of military muscle. “Schools have already made tremendous strides in offering children healthy food options, but it will take the support of the entire community from parents, to our military leaders to Members of Congress, voting to fund these critical efforts, to turn around the childhood obesity crisis,” said Dora Rivas, director of food services for the Dallas, TX school district and president of the School Nutrition Association. “The fact that so many youngsters are not fit for military service is, indeed, a wake-up call for this country,” echoed Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at the Mission: Readiness news conference.
Military recruitment efforts have been more successful of late, as the recession makes military service a more attractive alternative to unemployment. And it is recruiters who work with young people to help them get into shape so they are ready for boot camp, Barnett said. “But given the fact that so many more kids are carrying so many more pounds, asking recruiters to fix the problem is like asking for a safety pin after the seams have burst,” he commented.
Postal Workers to Pick Up and Deliver Donations
In what is billed as the largest one-day food drive in the nation, donations of non-perishable foods will be collected by more than 230,000 letter carriers as they make their rounds on Saturday, May 8, 2010. The food will then be delivered to food banks and other emergency food providers.
“Millions and millions of families are suffering – struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table,” said Fredric Rolando, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers. “Food banks, pantries, and shelters need our help more than ever this year. As families count on them for support, they’re counting on us and we will not back off on our commitment,” he emphasized. Rolando noted that donations are particularly important now, as school food programs are suspended for the summer months and millions of children must find alternate sources of food.
Total food collected in the postal union’s “Stamp Out Hunger” event this year is expected to top last year’s record of 73.4 million pounds collected. Donations from this year’s drive are expected to push the overall Stamp Out Hunger total above one billion pounds since the annual drive began 18 years ago. The total currently is 982.7 million pounds.
For further details, go to: http://www.nalc.org/commun/foodrive/.
Proposed Legislation
Among bills recently introduced in the 111th session of the U.S. Congress are the following:
House Resolution (H.R.) 5012: Introduced by Representative Dina Titus (D-NV), the Weekends Without Hunger Act would support a $10 million pilot program to provide commodities to schools and institutions that would help feed at-risk children on weekends and during extended school holidays.
H.R. 5027: Introduced by Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY) and four co-sponsors, the Eating Healthy at School Act would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of administrative review systems to ensure compliance with federal meal standards.
H.R. 5090: Introduced by Representative Jared Polis (D-CO) and five co-sponsors, this bill would encourage local wellness policies, technical assistance and training to support healthy school foods, nutrition promotion, and education.
For bill summary and status information, along with the text of legislation, visit: http://thomas.loc.gov/ and enter the bill number.
SNAP Shots
Grants available for elderly outreach: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that approximately $8 million is available for pilot projects to increase access and participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program, among low-income seniors. The grant awards will allow State SNAP agencies to pursue innovative outreach and delivery pilot projects.
In particular, USDA is encouraging state agencies to submit grant applications for programs designed to boost SNAP participation among Medicare’s Extra Help population. Extra Help, also called the Low Income Subsidy, is a program to help low-income individuals or couples with limited resources pay for their Medicare prescription drug plan costs.
Under a new law, data from these applications is sent to state Medicaid agencies to enroll people in Medicare Savings Programs. USDA will provide funding to encourage the Extra Help population to participate in SNAP by using state Medicaid agency data from Medicare Savings Programs. Consequently, USDA invites state agencies to submit applications that will implement outreach efforts, simplify eligibility, or standardize benefits for this population.
The deadline to submit applications is June 30, 2010. For more details, see: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cga/PressReleases/2010/0184.htm.
Rules updated to reflect EBT: USDA published a final rule in the April 12, 2010 Federal Register to update and reorganize SNAP regulations pertaining to the issuance of SNAP benefits. The rules, effective June 11, 2010, reflect the replacement of paper food stamp coupons with the electronic benefits transfer (EBT) system developed under SNAP, which is now used nationwide for the distribution of benefits to participants. For further information, click on: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-8200.htm.
What’s in a name?: As of October 1, 2008, SNAP officially became the new name for the Food Stamp Program. But old habits die hard and the law gave states the leeway to call the program whatever they wanted. Consequently, SNAP is still an unknown acronym in half the country.
The latest tabulation on USDA’s web site found that about half – 25 to be exact – of the 53 jurisdictions (50 states, plus D.C., Guam, and the Virgin Islands) administering the program have adopted the SNAP label. Five have opted to retain the food stamp program name. Twenty-three others have either chosen a different name or remain “undecided,” including California, which was reported to be considering six different monikers.
FEEDBAG: A Compendium of Notes on Nutrition Assistance Programs
Government assistance found effective but complex: The federal government administers 18 different food assistance programs that cost over $62.5 million in fiscal year 2008. The largest seven programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), school lunch, and WIC, are “associated with positive health and nutrition outcomes,” but “little is known about the effectiveness of the remaining 11 programs,” according to a report issued on April 15, 2010 by the General Accountability Office (GAO).
In response to congressional inquiries about program effectiveness, GAO stated that, “The complex network of 18 food assistance programs emerged piecemeal over the past several decades to meet various needs.” However, the efforts now “show signs of program overlap, which can create unnecessary work and lead to inefficient use of resources.” The GAO recommended that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers most of the programs, study the problem and consider program consolidation.
The 79-page report, titled “Domestic Food Assistance: Complex System Benefits Millions, but Additional Efforts Could Address Potential Inefficiency and Overlap among Smaller Programs,” may be viewed at: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-346.
Afterschool meal expansion finalized: USDA published a final rule in the April 1, 2010 Federal Register to implement a program authorizing afterschool meals to children in 13 states under the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Although afterschool snacks are available nationwide to all children under the CACFP, reimbursement for afterschool meals is limited to the 13 states. For additional information, see: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-7054.htm.
Comments sought on local procurements: Recent changes in federal law encourage child nutrition programs to purchase unprocessed locally grown or locally raised agricultural products. Institutions preparing meals for children may apply an optional geographic preference in the procurement of local products. USDA issued a proposed rule in the April 19, 2010 Federal Register to incorporate this procurement option into all their programs. Comments may be made through June 18, 2010. For details, link with: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-8850.htm.
Market directory being updated: USDA has launched a campaign to collect information about farmers’ markets across the U.S. for the production of the 2010 USDA National Farmers’ Market Directory. The directory, first published in 1994, has chronicled a significant growth of markets, from 1,755 that year to the current 5,274.
“The USDA Farmers’ Market Directory provides a snapshot of what is happening at farmers’ markets, demonstrates how the industry is growing and expanding, and serves as a tool to help consumers find local farmers markets,” said Rayne Pegg, a USDA official overseeing the compilation. “For the future of sound farmer market policies, it is critical to make the USDA National Farmers’ Market Directory as accurate as possible. USDA can’t do it alone, and we ask for assistance in compiling this directory.” Learn more at:
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=2010/04/0196.xml.
Stimulus money boosts Tribal food efforts: USDA has announced the distribution of $4.5 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) participating in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). Nationwide, the program serves about 90,000 low-income individuals in 271 Tribes with a monthly food package through a network of 98 ITOs and five state agencies.
USDA awarded ARRA funds to 78 ITOs in 21 states, with grants ranging from $2,250 to $408,766. The funds will be used to purchase equipment and improve facilities at FDPIR agencies. For further details, go to: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=2010/04/0178.xml
Reports from the Field – Wilmington, DE
Almost all anti-obesity efforts for children emphasize diet and physical activity, but it is important that they be addressed in the proper order to be most effective. In one place, Townsend Elementary School in Wilmington, they are discovering the tangible benefits of recess and play before lunch, as the following article by Nicole Dobo from the April 2, 2010 Wilmington News Journal, explains:
A flush-faced Austin Baize sat down to eat lunch Wednesday after spending about 30 minutes running around the playground. The 11-year-old quickly unwrapped his peanut butter and jelly sandwich and unscrewed the top to his chocolate milk. He was winded and hungry. He said he’d just spent his 30-minute recess “running away from girls.”
He may not know it, but he and his classmates are part of a growing trend breaking away from a centuries-old tradition. Recent studies and data from districts across the country are convincing more school officials to change the time-honored order of lunch then recess. Principals of scores of schools who moved recess before lunch discovered that not only do students eat more and waste less food, but behavior improved and teachers gained instructional time.
Austin and his cohorts at Townsend Elementary School are going to recess before lunch for the first time this year. Fifth-grader Justin Richards said he likes the switch because playing outside helps him work up an appetite. He played football with other boys before lunch Wednesday. “I’m pretty hungry,” Justin said as he opened his lunchbox.
Children waste significantly less food when they play before sitting down to eat, according to a 2004 study published in the Journal of Child Nutrition and Management. Students threw away about 40 percent of their food when lunch was held before recess. When the schedule was flipped, waste dropped to about 27 percent.
“It’s not a new idea. It’s just an idea that’s gaining steam because of the research,” said Charles Sheppard, principal of Townsend Elementary School in the Appoquinimink School District.
At Townsend Elementary, students seem to be eating more since the change, said Renee Horn, a nutrition manager. They are better able to focus on eating after they’ve socialized and burned off energy outside, she said. The back-to-back combination of recess and lunch gives the children a hour-long break from instruction.
Before the change, teacher Heather Patricco echoed colleagues around the nation, saying she used to have to give her students time to wind down after recess, so she’d slot about 20 minutes of silent reading. The new schedule makes lunch the transition, and she’s able to go right into a math lesson after they return. “Now they can come back and go back to work,” she said.
Eating before hitting the playground might have led some students to rush through their meals to get outside sooner, or it might have been that students ate less because they didn’t want a full stomach before they exercised, according to the study. Children who dined after playing also ate more nutritious food and drank more milk, according to the study.
“Most of the responses have been, ‘Well that sure makes sense,” said Ethan A. Bergman, the study’s author and a professor at Central Washington University. The students “exercise, relax and get ready for the rest of the day.”
Getting in at least 15 minutes of recess was shown to improve students’ academic scores, too, according to a 2009 study of 11,000 third-grade students published in the journal Pediatrics. More states have begun mandating recess for children, according to a 2006 survey of educational policy by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Delaware, there’s no state law that governs recess, which leaves local officials to decide when and how long students are able to play.
Besides the physical factor, recess is also a time for students to practice social skills, such as sharing, conflict resolution and problem-solving, said Joyce Skrobot, the principal at Brandywine School District’s Mount Pleasant Elementary. Some of the students at Mount Pleasant have recess before lunch, something the school started during the1999-2000 school year as part of a plan to structure both play and instructional time, she said. “Lunch provides that bridge so they have some social time,” Skrobot said.
When Mount Pleasant Elementary was a kindergarten through third-grade school, all the children had lunch after recess, Skrobot said. The addition of fourth- and fifth-grade students meant they didn’t have enough wiggle room in the daily schedule to keep it that way, she said. But it’s a concept Skrobot said she’d like to revisit.
There are some challenges to changing the recess and lunch rotation. Children coming in from outside in the winter have coats they carry into the lunchroom, and students often need a place to wash their hands before eating. At Townsend Elementary, students keep their coats with them at lunch, often stashing them on the bench where they sit to eat. Staff members squirt liquid hand sanitizer on children’s hands as they line up for lunch, and there’s a washroom just outside the cafeteria.
The Milford School District makes sure children get 20 minutes of recess, said Beverly Harp, the district’s supervisor of child nutrition. Rather than focusing on when children eat, the district has concentrated on reducing fat and boosting the number of fresh fruits and vegetables served. Physical education and healthful foods at school are getting more attention nationally because first lady Michelle Obama made childhood obesity her platform issue, Harp said. “We are a vital part of the educational process,” Harp said.
Small Bites
Snack attacks reported: Ninety-eight percent of U.S. children ages six to 18 report eating at least three snacks per day.
Snacking all day: More than half of all children say they eat five or more snacks a day.
Little time to eat: School lunch periods have gotten shorter; the average length of the high school lunch period declined from 31.8 minutes in 2003 to 26.7 minutes in 2005.
Less time to eat: Middle school lunch periods went from 29.7 minutes to 24.6 minutes during the same years.
No time to chew: The average length of elementary school lunch was down from 29.7 minutes in 2003 to 23.7 minutes in 2008.
Lunch or brunch?: Lunch periods start before 11:00 a.m. in over a quarter of the nation’s schools.
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