[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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