What is so bad about school food? Lots

From: www.angrymoms.org

Press kit: http://www.angrymoms.org/inner/media-press-kit.html

• There are 72.3 million children in the U.S. under 18 years of age.
• Parents of children under 18 make up over one-third of the nation's potential voters.

The intended audience for Two Angry Moms is wide and diverse. Every parent with a child in public school is potentially interested in the topic. Government statistics report that there are over 4.3 billion lunches served in nearly 88,000 schools to 26.5 million children annually. We believe that most parents currently have limited awareness of the poor quality of the food being served in our school cafeterias, vending machines and classrooms.

Parents need to understand the critical role eating healthy food, forming healthy eating habits and learning about food from a cultural and nutritional perspective can play in preventing and reversing childhood obesity, diabetes and a myriad of behavioral and learning problems.

Moms have traditionally been the nutritional gatekeepers of our homes. We do most of the food shopping and the meal preparation for our families. We care about our kids and want nothing but the best for them. These actions will hopefully set up healthy eating patterns for the life of our kids.

But what happens when our kids come home with their backpacks loaded with candy wrappers? We send them off to school and now they want chicken nuggets and fries instead of the meal we’ve prepared.

Welcome to the world of school food. Thanks to tight budgets, the cafeteria has to be self-sustainable or make a profit to survive. Since poor quality junk food is quick, cheap and profitable, our children’s health has become the price we pay.

Brown bagging your kid’s lunch can work for a while, if you’re a mom with time and money. But sadly, making your kid’s lunch doesn’t solve the problem. Candy rewards by teachers, frequent parties loaded with poor quality sweets, food fundraisers and vending machines have all turned schools into a toxic food environment. Kids want to be “cool” like the rest of the crowd. Even the savviest of mothers can ultimately feel overwhelmed.

There are many moms out there who care, but feel powerless to do something about school food. They are busy with kids and work. Thanks to food industry marketing and conflicting nutritional information, they’re not even sure just what is “healthy” anymore. As our kids become sicker and reach a weight that is clearly unhealthy, we know that something has to change.

There are over 40 million moms in the United States alone. Imagine if just 2 million moms and dads got angry enough to take a stand to change school lunch? This documentary film, Two Angry Moms, intends to inspire and empower those 2 million parents to create a tipping point for better school food and better health for our families.

We hope you’ll join us….

What is so bad about school food?

• Lots of harmful ingredients: hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, tons of sugar, artificial sweeteners, flavorings, colorings, preservatives and non-nutritive fillers.
• Simple answer: school food is often calorie-laden and of minimal nutritional value. We want to see schools serving kids whole foods, cooked from scratch, with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Our kids spend a significant time in school over 12 years. The school environment has a huge impact on children’s health. What are we teaching them about food? Are we walking our talk?
• A toxic food environment in school can undermine what parents are doing at home to instill healthy food values in their kids.

Why should parents care about the food served in school? • Schools have a responsibility to create a healthy supportive environment for kids.
• Schools that model better food on campus report higher test scores, fewer behavioral problems, winning sports teams and less absenteeism.
• School and home are the two places where kids learn habits that last a lifetime.
• What kids eat now has an impact on them 20 years from now. Obesity is way easier to prevent than to cure! No one has made real strides in reversing childhood obesity. Bariatric surgery is dangerous and has long-term effects.
• Of kids born in US in year 2000, 1 in 3 will develop diabetes
• CDC predicts this generation of American kids will be first in nation’s history to live shorter lives than those of their parents.
• Obesity-related illnesses cost the United States an estimated $117 billion.
• Poor diet and physical inactivity are the second leading causes of preventable death in the United States.
• Research shows that overweight preschool children are twice as likely to be obese as adults. Older children who are overweight are even more likely to be overweight as adults.

Who will change school lunch? Let’s face it! It’s up to us, the parents.
• Food service companies are not going to change it, they make too much money.
• State and federal legislation is too slow and food industry lobbyists have too much clout.
• School boards do not feel that this is a priority; they have so many other issues to deal with.
• School food is profit based first and foremost. School boards will not put it in as a line item like books and teacher salaries.
• It comes down to the PARENTS. Angry moms are taking a stand for their children’s health.
• Texas Agriculture Secretary Susan Combs said it’s going to take 2 million angry moms to change school food. We are the first two and we are building a movement from 2 to 2 million. Go to the website and join us.

How can you learn more?

Go to www.angrymoms.org to support the film and learn more.

Articles of Interest

It’s Official – Organic Really Is Better –The Sunday Times of London – October 2007 (Complete Article -http://www.angrymoms.org/inner/pdfs/organicbetter.pdf )

Food Additives Increase Levels of Hyperactivity in Children in General Population – The Lancet - September 2007 (Complete Article - http://www.angrymoms.org/inner/pdfs/additivestudyuk.pdf )

Earth Talk: How To Get Schools To Offer Healthier Food (Complete Article - http://www.angrymoms.org/inner/pdfs/providers_healthy.pdf )

Results From School Health Policies and Program Study Scientists from the Centers for Disease Control find:
• “Schools are in a unique position to promote healthy dietary behavior.”

• “Nutrition services program practices in many schools continue to need improvement.” (Complete Report - http://www.angrymoms.org/inner/pdfs/cdcschoolreport.pdf)

Study Proves School Meals Help Learning Anushka Asthana Sunday January 21, 2007 The Observer (Complete Article - http://www.angrymoms.org/inner/pdfs/observer.pdf)

“A study involving thousands of pupils and hundreds of parents and schoolteachers has confirmed the theory that transforming a child's diet improves how they learn and behave.”

Action for Healthy Kids http://www.ActionForHealthyKids.org Better Nutrition and More Physical Activity can Boost Achievement and Schools’ Bottom Line (Complete Fact Sheet - http://www.angrymoms.org/inner/pdfs/bottomline.pdf)

Childhood Obesity:The Preventable Threat to America’s Youth (Complete Fact Sheet - http://www.angrymoms.org/inner/pdfs/afhk.pdf)

Food Marketing and Childhood Obesity — A Matter of Policy - Marion Nestle, Ph.D., M.P.H. ……“Food marketing, the IOM (Institute of Medicine) says, intentionally targets children who are too young to distinguish advertising from truth and induces them to eat high-calorie, low-nutrient (but highly profitable) "junk" foods; companies succeed so well in this effort that business-as-usual cannot be allowed to continue.”… (Complete Article - http://www.angrymoms.org/inner/pdfs/nestleobesity.pdf)
Preventing Childhood Diabetes: The Need for Public Health Intervention – Marion Nestle, Ph.D., M.P.H. (Complete Article - www.angrymoms.org/inner/pdfs/nestlediabetes.pdf)

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