FRAC Update: A Good Week for Children's Nutrition and Health

A Good Week for Children’s Nutrition and Health: Five Things You Should Know  The early childhood obesity rate is down. A new federal report shows a significant reduction in the obesity rate among children ages two to five, falling from 13.9 percent in 2003-4 to 8.4 percent in 2011-12. More money for fruits and vegetables in WIC. The final rule (pdf) on the new WIC food packages, released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, strengthens the WIC food package even further by implementing the original Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendation to provide the full $8 in fruits and vegetables per month for children, a boost from the current $6 benefit. It’s estimated that this will result in an additional $1 billion in fruits and vegetables for low-income young children over the next 10 years. WIC rule contains even more gains for nutrition. In the rule, USDA also increased dairy options by including yogurt and increased whole grain options by including whole grain pasta. Overall, these and other improvements build on initial successes of the new WIC food packages in reducing obesity and improving nutrition among low-income women, infants, and children. More improvements to the school nutrition environment. Earlier this week, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, along with First Lady Michelle Obama, announced proposed guidelines (pdf) for local school wellness policies that will further improve the school nutrition environment for children. When peer pressure and stigma drive low-income students to purchase less healthy “competitive” foods, instead of eating healthy school meals, they lose out nutritionally in a much bigger way than their more affluent peers, and their families lose financially.  Community Eligibility is coming. Mrs. Obama and Secretary Vilsack also highlighted the upcoming national rollout of Community Eligibility, which has been proven to increase significantly the number of children eating school meals in low-income schools. Both FRAC and USDA have a series of resources on their websites to help states and advocates get ready for this implementation. To learn more about the impact of the new WIC rule and other new nutrition improvements for schools, visit FRAC’s website.