[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 158 (Thursday, October 12, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S15114]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH WEEK

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, October 9- to 13 has been recognized as 
National School Lunch Week. It is therefore appropriate to congratulate 
those who work to elevate child welfare and nutrition concerns on the 
national policy agenda, as it is increasingly apparent that investments 
in child nutrition programs today will pay rich dividends in terms of 
the future health and productivity of our Nation.
  The National School Lunch Program was signed into law in 1946, not as 
an act of charity, but as a matter of national security. Shocking 
numbers of young men had failed their physicals in World War II as a 
result of preventable, nutrition-related illnesses. The National School 
Lunch Act was designed to provide access to necessary nutrition for 
some of our Nation's most vulnerable children.
  Next June, we will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of this 
extremely successful program. Over the years I have enjoyed working 
with the members of the South Dakota School Food Service Association, 
and we agree on the importance of child nutrition and the value of the 
school meals program. I look forward to our continued work in this 
area.
  Last year Congress passed legislation that reauthorized and improved 
several important nutrition programs under the National School Lunch 
Act and the Child Nutrition Act. I was pleased to be a cosponsor of 
this legislation. At my urging, as part of that legislation, Congress 
directed the Department of Agriculture to bring schools into compliance 
with specified dietary guidelines by the 1996-97 school year rather 
than the 1998-99 school year, as originally stipulated by USDA. Among 
other recommendations, these guidelines establish a 30-percent limit on 
daily dietary fat, and a 10-percent limit on saturated fat.
  In June 1995, USDA updated Federal regulations to require schools 
meals to meet the dietary guidelines and conform to the legislation. 
The school meals initiative for healthy children is a significant 
reform of the program's 49 year history. In support of this policy, 
USDA also launched Team Nutrition, which provides training and 
technical assistance, as well as nutrition education to schools as they 
strive to incorporate the new nutrition standards into their school 
meals. Team Nutrition's goal is to improve the health and education of 
children through innovative public and private partnerships.
  I'm particularly pleased to recognize a South Dakota school which is 
leading the way in implementing healthier school meals. Rosholt 
Elementary School in Rosholt, SD, near my hometown of Aberdeen, is the 
first Team Nutrition school in South Dakota. Rosholt Elementary will 
serve as a model as they begin implementation of the healthy school 
meals policy. Compliance with the dietary guidelines will have a real 
impact on the health of children who participate in the school meals 
program, and I commend the Rosholt school and community on its 
commitment to the health status of its students.
  I yield the floor.

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