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Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act

Posted: 3:02 PM Dec 1, 2010

Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act

The childhood obesity epidemic is a hot topic on the house floor.

Government officials will vote on whether to pass the healthy hunger free kids act.

More than 188,000 children in Kentucky go hungry every day.

“In 2010 we have a new hunger not just kids needing calories but kids starving for good nutrition. You only have to look at the obesity rates and the health status of our kids,” Melinda Turner said.

Kentucky has the third highest rate of childhood obesity in the nation. Government and health officials say these two pressing issues need serious attention.

“The state of Kentucky, our percent is about 37.1 percent obese or overweight where as compared to the United States it is 31.6 percent,” Alice Caudill said.

The Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act will increase quality of school meals, establish national nutritional standards for food sold in schools and promote nutrition and wellness in child care settings.

“Despite their political differences in Washington that everyone does agree on one thing and that is school nutrition is important and our future depends on the health and well being of our nation children,” Melinda Turner said.

If passed, foster children will automatically be eligible for free meals...and 40 million dollars will be provided to help schools establish gardens and serve local foods in their cafeterias.

If passed, the bill will also support educational breastfeeding programs.

Statistics show children who are breast fed are more than 22-percent less likely to become obese or develop diabetes.