Because Every Child Deserves Good Food

As 2012 comes to a close, we are taking a moment to reflect on HSC's work this year and on the reasons we believe this effort is so important. Thank you for being part of this movement!

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The food children eat in school can fuel their learning, boost their focus and teach important lessons about healthy eating. When schools integrate nutrition education and teach children where food comes from, they’re helping write the recipe for lifelong healthy habits. Plus, creating healthier school meals can be a catalyst for change in our food system, bringing wider access to healthy options. That’s why Healthy Schools Campaign advocates for good food in the school cafeteria and beyond—so all children are nourished to learn and grow.

Learn more and get involved in making sure all children have good food at school. To hear stories from advocates, parents, teachers and principals who are making healthy food a priority, visit the school nutrition section of HSC’s blog. The food students eat at school goes beyond the cafeteria to include snacks, celebrations and rewards. For tips on making these part of a healthy food culture at school, download our practical tip sheet [pdf].

 

Give the gift of healthy food. You have the power to make sure every child has access to a school lunch that fuels learning. Your tax-deductible gift supports Healthy Schools Campaign’s ongoing advocacy for nourishing school meals, healthy snacks and a food system that supports healthy choices. This brings great benefits not only for kids’ health, but for their learning as well.
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Impact: Making Chicken Raised without Antibiotics Part of School Lunch
Changes for school food can have powerful implications for kids’ health and for our food system. For example, HSC and a coalition of partners worked with Chicago Public Schools to make chicken raised without antibiotics part of the school meal program.The group identified a key market opportunity with Miller Poultry, which sells much of its chicken breast meat to Whole Foods and much of its thigh meat to Chipotle restaurants. It hadn’t found a good market for the drumsticks, which are too small to appeal to most retail customers but the perfect size for schoolchildren. The district went on to make a pioneering purchase of 1.2 million pounds of chicken drumsticks from Miller, which are now served at 473 CPS elementary and secondary schools. This came with another powerful change: cooking chicken from scratch in CPS for the first time in more than three decades. This is part of a broader effort in Chicago, with HSC’s support, to shape a school meal program that not only meets high nutrition standards but also gives consideration to where and how food is grown and raised. Read more on HSC’s blog »

Most schools have about $1 per meal available to spend on ingredients for a school lunch.

 

At Healthy Schools Campaign, we work to ensure that all children have access to school environments that support their health and learning. To learn more, visit us online or contact us. In the weeks ahead, we will share more about our impact and our work for environmental health. Thank you for being part of the movement for healthy schools.