Press Releases

WORCESTER, MASS—Today, Congressman James P. McGovern, (D-MA), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and a Senior Member of the House Agriculture Committee, issued the following statement about new proposals from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service to strengthen nutrition requirements for school meals:

“I applaud President Biden and the USDA, under the leadership of Secretary Vilsack, for announcing these reasonable, responsible steps to strengthen school nutrition standards and support communities that want to provide healthier, tastier food at the lunch counter. Every day, we learn more about the science behind healthy eating, and it’s vital that we continue to evolve and update nutrition requirements to ensure that our kids get the right balance of nutrients they need to grow and thrive. Addressing infrastructure needs and staffing shortages is also a major issue in the communities I represent, and the Healthy Meals Incentives funding also announced today will make it easier for our school nutrition experts to put their expertise into action.

“As part of the House Rules Committee’s “Ending Hunger in America” project, we learned from schools that are implementing creative programs to serve kids nutritious meals that they want to eat. Cafeterias across the country are already leading the way—and I’m thrilled to see today’s announcement uplifts successful models from across America. Again, this is great news coming out of the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. I won’t rest until every child in America has a healthy, free breakfast and lunch at school every single day.”

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