4.30.2014 As part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA), USDA proposed a new set of guidelines to be included in the local school wellness policies such as implementation, evaluation and informing the public about the content of the policy.
However, there continues to be a wide gap between stated policies and actual practices on the ground (Bridging the Gap. 2013). Therefore, on February 26, 2014, USDA Food and Nutrition Service proposed regulations to create a new framework for wellness policies. The public comment period ended on April 28, 2014 with 761 comments submitted.
The proposed rule includes guidelines for:
• Wellness policy leadership and participation
• Evidence-based strategies for nutrition promotion and education, physical activity, and other school-based activities that promote wellness
• Nutrition guidelines for all foods and beverages offered in schools
• Policies for food and beverage marketing that meet the recently-released Smart Snacks in School standards
• Annual progress report, triennial assessment, updates to the wellness policy, public updates, monitoring and oversight
CFPA urges USDA to:
• Strongly recommend that the accountable person be at the school district’s leadership level.
• Support local wellness policies as a vehicle to: 1) establish standards for all foods available on campus, and 2) ensure students have adequate access to the school meal programs. • Encourage USDA to require greater implementation of no-cost Smarter Lunchroom strategies.
• Support engaging diverse stakeholders in the policy development process and encourage USDA to consider engaging local university researchers. • Encourage USDA to require that the local wellness policy and subsequent progress reports be posted at the school site.
• Support nutrition promotion and education that encourage students to participate in the NSLP and SBP.
• Strongly support the requirement that an assessment of the local wellness policy be conducted by the wellness team at the same time as the district’s Administrative Review.
Read CFPA’s full comments. PDF
Questions? Contact Ariana Oliva at 213.482.8200 x203.
