DELAURO ON NEW SCHOOL MEAL NUTRITION STANDARDS

Washington, DC— Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Ranking Member on the Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following statement today in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's announcement regarding changes to the nutrition standards for school lunches.

DeLauro is a long-time advocate of improving nutrition standards and a supporter of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which was signed into law in 2010. Approximately 32 million American students eat school meals and between 30 and 50% of the calories they consume during the weekdays are consumed during the school day. In 2010, just over 20% of American households with children were food insecure. At the same time, nearly 20% of American children are obese.

"I applaud the USDA's announcement today, as this is the first time in 15 years that the nutritional standards for school meals has been improved. I am very pleased that upper limits have been established for both sodium and calories, and that children will have access to the foods they need to be successful throughout the school day and beyond. Given the crippling epidemic of obesity in our country, it is imperative that we take action to improve nutrition, especially for our children, and these new standards are a step in the right direction."