Today, Rep. Cindy Axne (IA-03) announced her support for a comprehensive, evidence-driven reauthorization of federal child nutrition programs that meets the needs of children and families.
The Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act (H.R. 8450) builds on Rep. Axne’s work to expand school and summer meal programs, increase access to federal nutrition programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and prevent child hunger.
More than 75 percent of Des Moines Public School students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches this year.
“Whether children are sitting in the classroom trying to learn, or enjoying their summer breaks, they shouldn’t be going hungry,” said Rep. Axne. “The Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act modernizes our school meal programs, public nutrition programs, and helps prevent childhood hunger. Children are our future, and we need to make sure we’re investing in them so they can grow and learn without having to worry about where their next meal will come from.”
Even before the pandemic, more than 2.7 million households with children did not have reliable access to nutritious food. Moreover, the pandemic worsened pre-existing inequities in food insecurity. Both Black and Hispanic households with children reported food insecurity at rates roughly twice that of white households with children throughout the pandemic.
The Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act will help address both pre-existing inequities as well as food insecurity spurred by the pandemic. Specifically, the legislation will:
- Expand access to school meals,
- Preserve the future of school meal programs,
- Modernize the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC),
- Address food insecurity during the summer,
- Improve school meal capacity and sustainability, and
- Strengthen the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
Read the fact sheet for the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act here.
Read the section by section for the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act here.
Read the bill text for the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act here.
Original source can be found here.
