Celebrities Chime in on the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010

I wrote last week that the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 passed the Senate unanimously and now it just needs to pass Congress. The most important aspect of the bill is that it provides the first non-inflationary increase to school lunch spending since 1973. The bill allocates $4.5 billion for school lunches, an increase of about 6 cents per child. And the bill has already been paid for through monies restructured from the food stamp program.

I read over on Mother Nature Network that celebrities are speaking out to ensure passage of the bill. Food activist Jamie Oliver spoke out on This Week with Christiane Amanpour recently. According to Oliver, the bill is one of the most important pieces of health legislation in the past 50 years. "It can and it has the ability to save lives. The cost of obesity in America is about $150 billion per year," he said.

His big worry is that not enough money is being spent on the bill in order to train school cooks and to pay for the food that will feed our kids. By only increasing the money spent by 6 cents per child, we aren't doing enough, he fears.

Rachel Ray wrote also spoke out on the subject in an op-ed which appeared in newspapers across the country. She wrote:

"Nearly 17 million American children struggle against hunger. For them. school food programs are sometimes the only access they have to food. At the same time, one in three American kids is overweight or suffering from childhood obesity because their families simply can't afford fresh, nutritious foods. School food is one of the only level playing fields we have to provide good nutrition to all our kids."

Not sure what's in the bill? Read about it here and then voice your support for the legislation by calling or writing your local Congressman and telling them that you support the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.

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