Federal bill aims to keep junk food, soda away from 100,000 Hawaii students

HONOLULU—On Capitol Hill today, the U.S. House passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, S. 3307 by a vote of 264 yeas to 157 nays. The bill now goes to the White House for President Obama’s signature.

The bill authorizes a higher reimbursement rate for schools that serve healthier meals—the first reimbursement rate increase in 30 years—and seeks to keep junk food and soda out of vending machines and the cafeteria. More than 100,000 Hawaii students participate in the federal school lunch program.

According to the latest statistics, Hawaii faced a 15 percent increase in the number of child diabetes cases from 2005 to 2009. The numbers also show that 28.5 percent of Hawaii’s youth between the ages of 10 and 17 are obese. In conjunction with these figures, 9.1 percent of Hawaii residents are “food insecure,” which means they lack consistent access to enough quality food for a healthy and productive life.

Among its many components, the legislation includes $40 million in grants for Farm-to-School programs nationwide.

“I have visited several school gardens in Hawaii, seeing firsthand how Farm-to-School programs can teach children about healthy eating as part of the curriculum. These programs can also help Hawaii farmers get their food into local schools,” said Congresswoman Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), who is a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor.

S. 3307 will also fund school wellness policies to help schools promote nutrition and physical education. To help new mothers and our youngest children, the bill will support a healthier food packet for more than 37,000 Hawaii participants in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program that will integrate support for breastfeeding and the latest research on neonatal nutrition.