Food Research & Action Center’s Post

🚨At the Institute of Child Nutrition, we are committed to understanding child nutrition professionals’ needs firsthand. To continue improving our support, it's crucial for us to know exactly what challenges you are facing. 📌 That said - If you or someone you know is involved with the CACFP, please complete this short survey! 💻 Feel free to contact me if you have any questions at [email protected] or [email protected]. #cacfp #theicn #survey

📣 Great news for moms and babies! The USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has updated the WIC food packages based on science to provide a more diverse range of healthy food options - including fish and seafood - for participants during important life stages. "The new rules for WIC are positive for fish/seafood and a step in the right direction to provide moms and babies with essential nutrition for brain health and maternal health. Highlights of the new WIC rules include revisions to add select varieties of canned fish (salmon, sardines, Atlantic mackerel, chub mackerel, and light tuna) to food packages for children ages 1 through 4 years and pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding participants to better align the WIC food packages with the DGA and NASEM recommendations," said Linda Lai Cornish, MBA, Seafood Nutrition Partnership Founder and President. "This change represents an improvement over the current packages, which do not offer fish to child, pregnant, postpartum, or partially breastfeeding participants, and are consistent with the EPA-FDA advice about eating fish." “We applaud the USDA for including more fish for moms and children based on evidence-based science that we and others advocated. Equity and equality come together when we provide adequate nutrition for all moms and babies,” added Dr. Tom Brenna, Chair of SNP's Scientific Nutrition Advisory Council (SNAC). Learn more: bit.ly/4cWisU3 #seafood #fish #Seafood4Health #Seafood2xWk #Omega3s #brainhealth #WIC #USDA #mothers #children

Exciting Insights from the SNA Legislative Action Conference in D.C.!    This week, the School Nutrition Association’s (SNA) Legislative Action Conference (LAC) brought together school nutrition professionals from across the nation in Washington DC. This gathering served as a pivotal platform for key discussions on enhancing school meals programs.    What were the highlights?    Higher Meal Reimbursement Rates: A standout issue was the need for increased reimbursement rates to sustain nutritious meal programs. With a striking 99.3% of professionals citing rising costs as a challenge, the SNA is advocating for a significant boost in funding for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program. Upcoming Nutrition Standards Changes: The conference also shed light on concerns over proposed limits on added sugars and sodium. The USDA has committed to working closely with professionals to ensure new standards are met without compromising student participation. Universal Healthy Meals Initiative: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack reconfirmed his support for universal healthy school meals and announced the first recipients of the Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards, highlighting districts that have made significant strides in school nutrition.    The LAC is an essential convening for those dedicated to ensuring all students have access to nutritious meals. As participants return to their districts armed with new insights and strategies, we are reminded of the collective power of advocacy in driving meaningful improvements in school nutrition policies and practices.    🔗 Learn more about the conference and its impact on our blog: https://lnkd.in/grWW3aev   #SchoolNutrition #SNAConference #HealthyMealsForAll #NutritionAdvocacy #USDA #NationalSchoolLunchProgram  

We know through numerous studies that nutrition programs can positively affect children's development and academic programs. Curious about school meal programs and the coverage of large scale programs in different countries? The Global Child Nutrition Foundation created a global report, based on a 2021 global survey of school meal programs that covered 139 countries. Learn more and read the full report: https://bit.ly/45cxMHq #globalhealth #childhealth #schoolhealth #nutrition

Child Nutrition Directors - Have you explored the new FNS Child Nutrition Dashboard by USDA? I definitely recommend you check it out! Looking at national and state trends, it's worth pondering: Why the decline in meal participation? In 2019, NSLP served 29.5 million children nationwide, and SBP reached 14.74 million. Fast forward to 2023, those numbers dipped to 28.6 million and 14.7 million, respectively. Could this decline be linked to broader demographic shifts, or are there other factors at play? Is the trend reflective of a similar decrease in population, or are there deeper-rooted causes that warrant exploration? Will we see significant increases next year after 8 states offered free meals to all? This data prompts us to ask critical questions and delve into the factors influencing child nutrition programs. Participation isn't just declining; food and labor costs are skyrocketing, unpaid meal debt is at an all-time high, and reimbursement rates just aren’t keeping up with the costs of running child nutrition programs. As states work for increased funding, child nutrition programs across the county will be forced to make significant operational changes that optimize resources and streamline processes in order to survive.

2024 Global Child Nutrition Forum A child without a good nutrition will not perform and being well. Trash Food , OUT How can we have a high rate of young children with diabetes, and other ailments? You are what you Eat.

The Farm Bill is about a lot more than farming 🚜 - in fact, 76% of the 2018 Farm Bill budget focused on federal nutrition assistance programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This means the bill has wide implications for children’s access to nutritious foods and, as science tells us, a young child’s nutrition can impact their development and lifelong health. To learn more about the implications of the 2023 Farm Bill for early childhood development, including insights one panelist shared from our Working Paper, "Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body: Early Childhood Development and Lifelong Health Are Deeply Intertwined,” check out this webinar from our friends at the National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers: https://bit.ly/3PZ3Nyc