Press Releases

This week, U.S. Representatives Matt Cartwright (PA-08) and Ted Yoho (R-FL-03) introduced the Nutrition Education Act to address childhood obesity by ensuring students are learning how to maintain a healthy, balanced diet at school.

“Nearly one in three children in America is overweight or obese. This is not only a public health issue, it’s an economic issue: childhood obesity alone costs an estimated $14 billion annually,” said Rep. Cartwright. “One way we can tackle this problem is by teaching children at school why it’s important to develop better eating habits. A smarter approach to nutrition education will help ensure our children go on to live healthier, happier lives.”

“Childhood obesity is an increasing epidemic in the United States – affecting about 13.7 million children and adolescents. By ensuring our children receive vital nutrition and health education, we can help them to form healthy habits that carry into adulthood allowing them to lead longer, healthier lives,” said Rep. Yoho.

BACKGROUND

The Nutrition Education Act would require schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to include 50 hours of school nutrition education for their students per school year. Research shows that 50 hours is necessary to influence children’s behavior, significantly impacting health outcomes.

Additionally, it recommends that nutrition not only be taught in health classes, but also incorporated into subjects like math, science, language arts and social sciences. By including fun, participatory activities like farm visits, taste testing and school gardens, children will learn the importance of nutritional energy balance – caloric intake vs. physical activity.