healthy food - BRING A LEGISLATOR TO THE TABLE - SIBEJO

State legislators are in a unique position to tackle hunger and increase access to healthy food. Legislators simultaneously wear the hats of policymaker and community leader. They can direct and provide incentives for state agencies to implement new programs, catalyze coordination...

healthy food - FOOD SAFETY NET SHREDS IN SUMMER; DISAPPEARS AFTER GRADUATION - SIBEJO

Summer marks a serious gap in the nation�s food safety net for children. Of the 22 million students who receive free or reduced�-price lunch in U.S. public schools, all but 3.9 million of them lose access to those meals over the summer, according FeedingAmerica. Whether it is because...

healthy food - SNAP ASSET LIMITS HAVE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES - SIBEJO

SNAP asset limits aim to target government resources and program benefits to people with the greatest need. But they may discourage low�income households from building a savings cushion that would help them weather economic shocks, such as a job loss or an unexpected car repair or...

healthy food - WELFARE RULES THWART MOVING UP - SIBEJO

The welfare reform law of 1996 required Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) recipients to meet �stringent work requirements.� TANF is delivered to states through block grants, which require that states place a certain percentage of people into the workforce. However, many...

healthy food - DINE OR DUMP? - SIBEJO

Americans toss billions of dollars worth of food every year. A good portion of that is still safe to eat, but we don't because of confusion over expiration labels. Licensed dieticians say those dates are often mistaken as the deadline to toss. But many of the items are still safe...

healthy food - NEW YORK EXPANDS ACCESS TO SNAP - SIBEJO

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo�s decision to increase eligibility for SNAP benefits goes into effect this month. The state raised the income limit for working households from 130% of the poverty line to 150%, which will make thousands of New Yorkers eligible for nutrition assistance....

healthy food - CONGRESS FIGHTS OVER SCHOOL MEAL MONEY - SIBEJO

Rep. Todd Rokita�s (R-IN) proposal in the House child nutrition bill to conduct a block grant pilot program for school meals in three states �demonstrates a broader effort to block grant the school meal program nationwide,� said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). If the pilot program were...

healthy food - CANDY, SODA AND SNAP: THE REALITY - SIBEJO

Angered by the federal government�s denial of his request to bar residents from buying candy or sugar-sweetened beverages with SNAP benefits, Maine Governor Paul LePage has threatened to end the state�s administration of the program. Is there any truth to his claim that SNAP recipients...

healthy food - HUNGER DOESN�T TAKE A SUMMER VACATION - SIBEJO

After three years of significant growth, national participation in the Summer Nutrition Programs plateaued last summer. During July 2015, the programs served nearly 3.2 million low-income children across the country, a modest increase of 11,000 participants from July 2014. The Child...

healthy food - HIGHER SNAP BENEFITS MEANS MORE FOOD, BETTER NUTRITION - SIBEJO

Boosting SNAP benefits raises not only the amount that low-income households spend on groceries but also its nutritional quality, according to a new study. The study�s main findings include:Low-income families report that to meet their food needs, they would need to spend an additional...

healthy food - REPUBLICANS PROPOSE TO TEST SCHOOL MEAL BLOCK GRANTS - SIBEJO

House Republicans are proposing to test funding school meal programs through block grants as part of the House child nutrition reauthorization bill. If passed, the pilot would be tested in three yet-to-be-determined states. Republicans claim the Improving Child Nutrition and Education...

healthy food - Quote of the Week - SIBEJO

"House Speaker Paul Ryan�s poverty plan...is not just about drastic cuts to proven programs; it�s also about dismantling the stable and effective structure of our nation�s safety net.  It is downright dangerous."Jim Weill, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), June 7,...

healthy food - Coalition on Human Needs Responds to Speaker Ryan's proposal - SIBEJO

Deborah Weinstein, executive director of the Coalition on Human Needs, issued the following statementy in response to the House GOP anti-poverty proposal:�The plan put forth by House Speaker Paul Ryan and his GOP colleagues actually is a blueprint for exacerbating poverty and inequality...

healthy food - MODERNIZING SNAP BENEFITS - SIBEJO

SNAP  benefit levels are �based on increasingly outdated assumptions, including unreasonable expectations about households� availability of time to prepare food, and need to be modernized,� a new paper explains. It calls for a 20% benefit increase in the short term and more...

healthy food - SUMMER ELECTRONIC BENEFITS REDUCE CHILD HUNGER - SIBEJO

Providing low-income children with $30 to $60 a month during the summer reduced severe food insecurity, according to a USDA report. The Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer for Children (Summer EBTC) demonstration project was also associated with positive nutrition changes in participating...

healthy food - THE END OF COMPETITIVE BIDDING COULD DRIVE UP WIC COSTS - SIBEJO

The Education Committee bill would change WIC in ways that cater to corporate interests and could make the program less cost-effective. For decades, WIC has used competitive bidding to reduce the cost of infant formula and some other foods for infants. The billwould require...

healthy food - HOUSE COMMITTEE WORKS ON CHILD NUTRITION BILL - SIBEJO

The House Education and Workforce Committee, on which Representative Stefanik serves, completed drafting its bill last week to reauthorize the Child Nutrition and Education Act. The bill, critics contend, contains a number of damaging provisions, including: shrinking coverage of...

healthy food - USDA Official: Reauthorize Child Nutrition Programs So They Benefit Children - SIBEJO

Posted by Kevin Concannon, Undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer ServicesIt may seem like common sense for child nutrition programs to benefit children, but some see it differently today.Nationwide, schools have made the lunchroom a healthy environment. In fact, in only...

healthy food - �HEALTHY� TO GET NEW DEFINITION FROM FDA - SIBEJO

Salmon can�t actually be marketed as �healthy� under current FDA guidelines, despite being recommended as a good source of protein in the government�s most recent dietary guidelines. Pop-Tarts, on the other hand, are in the clear.The labeling rules around �healthy� haven�t been revisited...

healthy food - PREPARING FOR THE NEXT RECESSION BY STRENGTHENING SNAP - SIBEJO

The current economic recovery is already longer than the postwar average, so it may be prudent to ask--is a recession lurking around the corner? While there�s no way to know, Congress could start preparing for one by strengthening the �automatic stabilizers� in the federal budget�programs...