Source link : https://usa365.info/cuts-to-school-lunch-and-food-bank-funding-mean-less-fresh-produce-for-children-and-families/
For many American children, school lunches are their most nutritious meal of the day. SDI Productions/iStock via Getty Images Plus
The U.S. government recently cut more than US$1 billion in funding to two long-running programs that helped schools and food banks feed children and families in need. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the reductions are a “return to long-term, fiscally responsible initiatives.” But advocacy groups say the cuts will hurt millions of Americans.
The reductions came just days before the release of the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again report, an analysis of the factors causing chronic disease in children. One of those factors, the report says, is poor diet.
Dr. Marlene Schwartz, a professor of human development and family sciences and director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Health at the University of Connecticut, discusses why cutting the Local Food for Schools and the Local Food Purchase Assistance programs means less fresh food will be available to children and families – and could hurt local farmers and ranchers too.
Dr. Marlene Schwartz discusses why these programs were cut.
The Conversation has collaborated with SciLine to bring you highlights from the discussion, edited here for brevity and clarity.
Could you explain the two programs that were cut?
Marlene Schwartz: Most schools were eligible for Local Food for Schools, a $660 million program, which has now been cut. The funds for Local Food…
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Author : USA365
Publish date : 2025-06-06 00:37:00
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