School Lunch Advocate Guide

Want healthier school meals? If passed into law, the Healthy School Meals Act of 2010 would help schools offer more healthful, plant-based meals and beverages to students across the country.

If you'd like to help turn this bill into law, please contact Congress! They need to hear from students, parents, teachers—any concerned citizens. Your opinion is important—and it's easy to make your voice heard!

Questions? Contact Ruby Lathon, Ph.D., PCRM's nutrition policy manager, at rlathon@pcrm.org.

Adult Talking Points | Student Talking Points

Make an Important Call to Congress!

• Think of—and write down—one specific reason why you support the Healthy School Meals Act of 2010 so you can mention it in your call to Congress. If you need help, please see the student talking points or adult talking points list below.
• Get your contact information ready. You’ll be calling your representative in Congress. Click here to look up the name and phone number of your representative.
• Click here to see if your representative is already a co-sponsor of H.R. 4870. If so, call to say: “Thank you for co-sponsoring and please ask Chairman Miller to include the provisions of the Healthy School Meals Act in the Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill."
• Between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, make the call; if you get a busy signal or an answering machine, try again later. For help determining your time zone and the time you'll need to call in, please click here.
• When someone answers, be polite and speak clearly and slowly so they can write down your message.
• You want to make sure to say each of the following things:
  • "Hello,I'm calling from [name of your town/city] to ask Rep. [name] to support H.R. 4870, the Healthy School Meals Act of 2010. [At this point—or later on, the person you’re talking with may ask for your full name and contact information; be sure to provide this whenever they ask for it so the office can respond to your request by mail.]
• “The reason I want Rep. [name] to support H.R. 4870 is [Give your specific reason.]”
• “Please co-sponsor H.R. 4870, the Healthy School Meals Act, and make sure its provisions are included in the Child Nutrition Act reauthorization.”
• When you’ve stated your message and contact information, thank the person you spoke with and say good-bye.
• You may be motivated to contact your Member of Congress to support the Healthy School Meals Act for a number of reasons. However, because the legislation is focused on nutrition, it is important that you target your message to nutrition issues, as identified in the talking points provided below.

After You Call, Get Involved!

If you are a student or parent, get active in your school! Visit our Web site to find out what you can do in your own school to get healthier food.

TALKING POINTS FOR TEACHERS, PARENTS, AND OTHER CONCERNED ADULTS

You may be motivated to contact your Member of Congress to support the Healthy School Meals Act for a number of reasons. However, because the legislation is focused on nutrition, it is important that you target your message to nutrition issues, as identified in the talking points provided below.

Request:

• Please co-sponsor H.R. 4870, the Healthy School Meals Act and make sure the provisions of the Healthy School Meals Act are included in the Child Nutrition Act reauthorization.

The Situation:

• More than one-third of America’s children are overweight or obese. They are at higher risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, and many will live shorter lives than their parents.
• Children need healthful, plant-based options in the lunch line because they are getting too much fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol and not enough fruits and vegetables and fiber. Plant-based options are low in saturated fat, contain no cholesterol, and are high in fiber.
• Many schools can’t afford to serve healthier food. They need help from the government to offer all students healthful school lunch options.
• Most schools do not offer students a nondairy milk substitute. Children who
• are lactose intolerant;
• avoid milk for religious or ethical reasons; or
• simply don’t like milk often have nothing to drink for lunch!

Many children are not getting calcium, vitamin D, and other key nutrients because schools do not provide them with a nutritious alternative.

The Solution:

• H.R. 4870, the Healthy School Meals Act of 2010, will help schools provide healthful, plant-based foods and beverages in the school lunch program. This important bill would
  • make more plant-based foods affordable and accessible to schools;
  • give schools an incentive to offer students a plant-based entrée option every day; and
  • ensure that children who are unable to drink milk get a nutritious alternative beverage rich in protein, calcium, and vitamin D in the lunch line.

TALKING POINTS FOR STUDENTS

Tell your representative why you want more healthy vegetarian options for lunch at school. Ask him or her to support H.R. 4870, the Healthy School Meals Act of 2010.

Here are some good reasons why:

• All students should be able to choose healthy food at school.
• Having healthy plant-based vegetarian options will help fight diseases like obesity and diabetes because they are naturally low in saturated fat, high in fiber, and contain no cholesterol.
• Lots of kids at my school are worried about their weight or health or they want to do better in sports after school—and veggie options will help.
• I feel better when I eat lots of fruits and vegetables and have lots of energy for school activities and sports.
• Fruits and vegetables are good for kids’ health and better for the environment.
• Lots of kids can’t drink milk (because they are lactose intolerant or allergic or they just don’t like it), so they need to have other healthy choices which are high in calcium, protein, and vitamin D, like soymilk.
• I would like my school to be able to provide more fresh fruits and vegetables, veggie chili, veggie burgers, and other healthy vegetarian options, but my school needs help from the federal government to provide healthy options.

Please co-sponsor H.R. 4870, the Healthy School Meals Act.

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