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Officials urge Congress to renew Child Nutrition Act

Category: General Health

Obesity rates in the U.S. have continued to thrive for adults and children, and some health officials are hoping kids can reach a healthier body weight through a piece of legislation being renewed before it expires.

The Child Nutrition Act is slated to expire on September 30, which is partially responsible for the nutritional content in the meals served at school.

In a recent study, it was revealed that despite eating healthy at home, children tend to eat poorly when they leave the house. School lunches were part of that equation. For other children, the school lunch is the only possibility they have of getting any nutritional food.

"For more and more students in this economy, the meals they receive at school are their nutritional safety net," said Representative George Miller, who chairs the Education and Labor Committee. The Democrat currently has jurisdiction over the legislation.

Many health officials, such as Margo Wootan, a nutrition policy director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said the bill is important to ensure the health of future generations.

"One of our top priorities is to get soda and junk food out of schools," Wootan told the Los Angeles Times.