[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 72 (Wednesday, May 14, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H4023-H4024]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AMENDING THE RICHARD B. RUSSELL NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH ACT
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
Senate bill (S. 870) to amend the Richard B. Russell National School
Lunch Act to extend the availability of funds to carry out the fruit
and vegetable pilot program.
The Clerk read as follows:
S. 870
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PILOT PROGRAM.
Section 18(g)(4) of the Richard B. Russell National School
Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1769(g)(4)) is amended by inserting
before the period at the end the following: ``, to remain
available until the close of the school year beginning July
2003''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Boehner) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner).
General Leave
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
on S. 870.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Ohio?
There was no objection.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 870, a bill to
extend the period of time for which participating schools may provide
free, fresh and dried fruits and fresh vegetables to children in
schools. This pilot program, which was authorized as part of the Farm
Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, provides fruits and
vegetables to children in an effort to increase their consumption of
these healthful foods.
I am proud that Ohio was selected to be one of the four States
participating in this pilot program and that two of these schools are
in Ohio's 8th district, which I represent, Nevin Coppock Elementary
School in Tipp City, Ohio, and Stebbins High School in Riverside, Ohio.
On April 10, the other body passed S. 870, which allows additional
time for the current funds to be expended. It does not authorize new
money to be spent on the pilot. S. 870 enjoyed broad bipartisan support
in the other body and is supported in the House on both sides of the
aisle.
Mr. Speaker, a recent evaluation of the fruit and vegetable pilot
program by the United States Department of Agriculture says that this
pilot was popular amongst parents, teachers, and students, and
successfully increased children's interest in making fruits and
vegetables a regular part of their diet. Now, this is an encouraging
finding at a time when rates of overweight and obesity amongst children
are at an all-time high and that these rates are continuing to rise
steadily without any sign of a reverse in this troubling trend.
Growing scientific evidence demonstrates a strong link between
nutrients found in fruits and vegetables and the reduced risk of
several chronic diseases, including cancer, heart disease, type 2
diabetes, and others. According to the Office of the Surgeon General,
diet-related diseases cost this country approximately $117 billion each
year, and several other estimates are even larger.
Nutrition experts strongly encourage Americans to consume a variety
of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis, yet data from the national
nutrition and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that
only one in four Americans, about 24 percent, eat five or more fruits
and vegetables a day, and children tend to eat less fruits and
vegetables than adults. This evidence makes clear the importance of our
efforts to encourage children to develop an interest in fruits and
vegetables at a young age.
Today, I am pleased with the strong level of bipartisan support
received by this pilot program and urge my colleagues to support S. 870
to extend this pilot into the next year.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 870. This legislation allows us
to extend the current fruit and vegetable pilot program enacted under
the farm bill for an additional year. Because of the short time frame
after enactment of the farm bill, many of the schools were not able to
begin their participation in the program as quickly as we had hoped. As
a result, many schools will have funds remaining at the end of the
school year.
The issue of fruit and vegetable consumption by our children is
critically important. Studies continually show that increased
consumption of fruits and vegetables at a young age leads to healthier
diets in adulthood. Coupled with the alarming rates of childhood
obesity, we should be doing all we can to expand fruit and vegetable
consumption among our children. Educating our children now about the
importance of eating fruits and vegetables will lead to a healthier
Nation in the future.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation marks an important step as we begin our
discussion to reauthorize our Federal child nutrition programs. As part
of reauthorization, it is my hope that we can expand the benefits of
this pilot to all our Nation's children. I urge all Members to support
this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne).
Mr. OSBORNE. Mr. Speaker, in the world of athletics, each year our
young people get bigger, they get stronger, and they get faster.
Unfortunately, many of our young people just get bigger. They consume
diets that are very high in fat. Sometimes a serving of fruit equals a
serving of Fruit Loops and a serving of vegetables equates to French
fries or potato chips.
As has been mentioned previously, 60 percent of Americans currently
are overweight, 20 percent are obese, and among our young people the
percentages are just about the same. An alarming trend has been that we
are starting to see atherosclerosis in elementary school children.
These are
[[Page H4024]]
fatty deposits in the coronary arteries which lead directly to heart
disease. This was unheard of 20 or 30 years ago. Type 2 diabetes is
exploding among our young people. And of course this again is related
to being overweight. Many children do not exercise. They watch TV and
play video games.
Senate 870 authorizes the extension of a valuable school pilot
program. The fruit and vegetable pilot program provides fresh fruit and
fresh vegetables to a limited number of schools during the current
school year. A recent Department of Agriculture study found that
normal-weight children consumed significantly more fruits than
overweight children. Studies have shown a positive relationship between
consuming a balanced healthful diet of protein, fruits and vegetables
and children's performance in the classroom and on the playing fields.
I thank my colleagues from the Committee on Education and the
Workforce for bringing this small, yet important, piece of legislation
to the floor and urge my colleagues to vote to extend this valuable
pilot study.
Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for
yielding me this time, and I also am pleased to join with the chairman,
the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), and the gentleman from Michigan
(Mr. Kildee) in support of this important legislation. I commend them
for bringing it to the floor.
I have always been told that we are what we eat. And I believe while
it might appear that this legislation does not and will not go a great
distance, I believe that children, like all of us, learn what they
live. If they learn the importance of fruits and vegetables as part of
a balanced diet, then I think they will end up making use of that. I
think they will end up saying to themselves that they like it. They
will end up saying that it makes sense.
We know that in the long run it is going to reduce illness. It will
keep people away from the doctor's office, out of the hospital. It will
cut down on our health care costs, which are rising all of the time at
runaway speeds.
So I think this is a tremendous measure that will pay serious
dividends. I am pleased that the Committee on Education and the
Workforce has brought it to the floor, and I urge all Members to
support it.
Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 870, a bill to amend
the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to extend the
availability of funds to carry out the fruit and vegetable pilot
program.
We hear a great deal about the importance of teaching our children
good nutrition as well as about the epidemic of obesity and poor eating
habits among American children. This morning's USA Today even had
several articles about nutrition and obesity throughout the paper, this
is a very important issue and one that is near and dear to my heart and
that of my district. However, for all the press, talk and concern, we
do far too little about it. THe first year of the Fruit and Vegetable
Pilot Program is nearing its end, but remaining funds need to be used
to extend the program until the end of the 2003-2004 school year so we
can get the necessary information as we begin to debate child nutrition
reauthorization later this year.
The 2002 Farm Bill authorized funds for a pilot project to test the
feasibility of offering free fruits and vegetables to students during
the school day. One hundred six schools implemented the project this
school year in Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan and the Zuni Tribal
Organization in New Mexico. The program sought to determine the best
practices for increasing both fresh and dried fruit and fresh vegetable
consumption in elementary and secondary schools. Schools reported
tremendous successes and the final USDA report on the project concluded
that 80 percent of students in participating schools were very
interested in the program, and 100 of the schools participating believe
that it is feasible to continue the pilot if funding is made available.
I feel it is incumbent upon Congress to continue this pilot.
Consumption of fruits and vegetables increased, while anecdotal
evidence showed a decline in soda sales from vending machines in
schools. Making existing funding available for pilot schools to use
this upcoming school year will extend the success of the project.
Again, Mr. Speaker, I urge your support for this legislation today,
and ask you again to support additional consumption opportunities as we
debate child nutrition reauthorization in the upcoming Session. We must
do more to encourage their purchase in our schools and to promote their
consumption on an individual level.
Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend
my remarks.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to please support S. 870, a bill by
Senator Harkin that will continue funding the Fruit and Vegetable Pilot
Program until the end of 2003-2004 school year.
This is a great pilot that the Agriculture Committee strongly
supported, and I fully intend on fighting to extend this project in the
Children's Nutrition Reauthorization.
The pilot provides fresh and dried fruits and fresh vegetables to
children in 107 schools. Of the 105 schools that have reported back
results, 100 are asking USDA to keep the program.
This program is popular with schools and nutrition advocates, in
light of the growing problem of childhood obesity. But, more important,
the program is popular with the kids! Eighty percent of the students
were very interested. Parents are excited about the program since 71
percent of the students are now more interested in eating vegetables
and fruits.
Mr. Speaker, this is a successful program for which we need to extend
funding until the end of the next academic year. It would be a pity to
take these nutritious and healthy foods away from the children halfway
through the school year.
I urge my colleagues to please support S. 870.
Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 870 which authorizes
the extension of a valuable school pilot program included in the 2002
Farm Bill, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fruit and Vegetable
pilot program.
This program has provided an extraordinary opportunity to distribute
free fruits and vegetables to students throughout the school day in an
effort to increase their consumption of these healthful foods. Because
this pilot did not begin until nearly midway through the school year,
participating schools have requested that the Congress allow them
additional time to complete the pilot program.
I have been pleased with the popularity of this pilot program and the
evidence of its success. The USDA recently released a report on the
pilot program. Within their evaluation they found that it was popular
among most students, parents, State representatives, teachers,
principals, pilot managers and food service staff. The USDA's
evaluation also found that students consumed over 90 percent of
servings offered thus far.
No one can dispute the importance of a healthy diet, especially for
growing children. Yet, for a number of reasons, many children don't eat
enough fruits and vegetables as recommended by the Dietary Guidelines
for Americans and the Food Guide Pyramid. This pilot also is critically
important to help encourage healthy dietary habits among the growing
number of children in this country who are overweight or obese. USDA
found that nearly 93 percent of participating schools have provided
some nutrition education and promotion activities along with the
program.
Identifying ways to encourage children to consume a wide variety of
healthful foods will be a major focus of the upcoming reauthorization
of the National School Lunch Program and other key child nutrition
programs. During the reauthorization process, we will look to this
pilot program for some answers regarding how we might help increase the
consumption of fruits and vegetables in school by making accessible the
types of fruits and vegetables that children most enjoy.
Because research has shown that children develop dietary habits early
in life, the increased availability of fruits and vegetables in school
can make a lasting impression on the life-long consumption patterns of
these youths. For that reason, I urge my colleagues to vote to extend
this pilot study.
Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the Senate bill, S. 870.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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