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Senate Ag Committee hears child nutrition program concerns

Child nutrition advocates raised their concerns in reauthorizing the Child Nutrition Act during a Senate Ag Committee hearing Thursday.

Dr. Diane Golzynski, who oversees USDA nutrition programs in Michigan, testified on the success of the Ten Cents a Meal for Michigan Kids and Farms Program which provides additional state funding to schools sourcing local fruit, vegetables, and dried beans.

“This exposure to healthy, local produce has increased the children’s acceptance and excitement to the point parents are telling us that the children now request the produce grown by their local farmer at home,” she says.

She and others testified that programs need to align with strong nutrition standards and tackle the rising childhood obesity and hunger rates.

Leaders on the committee pledged their support of bipartisan legislation, saying child nutrition programs haven’t been updated in a decade and modernization is needed to support healthier kids.

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