I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2832

To promote improved nutrition for students by expanding the Fruit and 

Vegetable Pilot Program under the Richard B. Russell National School 

Lunch Act. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 23, 2003

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington (for himself, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. NETHERCUTT, 

Mr. SIMPSON, Mr. OTTER, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Mr. WILSON of 

South Carolina, Mr. OSBORNE, Mr. FARR, Mr. ROSS, Ms. KAPTUR, and 

Mr. NUNES) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL

To promote improved nutrition for students by expanding 

the Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be referred to as the ‘‘Healthy Nutri5 tion for America’s Children Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
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1 (1) The United States faces a continuing chal2 lenge in improving the quality of the Nation’s diet 

3 as the economic costs of poor nutrition, which con4 tributes to coronary heart disease, cancer, stroke, 

5 and diabetes, 4 of the 10 leading causes of death, 

6 is significant. 

7 (2) Consumption of a healthy diet including nu8 tritionally rich fruit and vegetables is essential for 

9 normal growth and development, and critical to pro10 moting health and preventing an array of chronic 

diseases, as an estimated 1 11 ⁄3 of cancer deaths could 

12 be prevented by healthy diets. 

13 (3) Most children do not meet the minimum 

14 recommended guidelines of 5 servings a day of fruit 

15 and vegetables, with only 15 percent of elementary 

16 students consuming the recommended requirement, 

and 1 17 ⁄4 of adults. 

18 (4) Among needy students, school nutrition pro19 grams often provide the primary opportunity for 

20 consumption of nutritionally valuable foods. 

21 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are: 

22 (1) To extend, expand, and enhance Federal 

23 nutrition policies that recognize and directly encour24 age consumption of fruits and vegetables as critical 
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1 to promoting health and preventing an array of 

2 chronic diseases. 

3 (2) To develop nutrition policies that increase 

4 awareness and understanding of the benefits pro5 vided by fruits and vegetables with respect to disease 

6 prevention and health promotion, as fruit and vege7 table consumption is an important component of a 

8 balanced diet. 

9 (3) To elevate the Federal government’s invest10 ment in nutrition program priorities to better ad11 dress the significant role fruit and vegetables play in 

12 health promotion and disease prevention for the 

13 neediest Americans. 

14 SEC. 3. FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PILOT PROGRAM. 

15 Section 18(g) of the Richard B. Russell National 

16 School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1769(g)) is amended to read 

17 as follows: 

18 ‘‘(g) FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PILOT PROGRAM.—

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In the school year begin20 ning July 2004 and for each subsequent school year 

21 through 2009, the Secretary shall carry out a pilot 

22 program to make available to students in 25 elemen23 tary or secondary schools in each of 50 States, and 

24 in elementary or secondary schools on 10 Indian res25 ervations, free fresh and dried fruits and fresh vege-
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1 tables throughout the school day in 1 or more areas 

2 designated by the school. 

3 ‘‘(2) PUBLICITY.—A school that participates in 

4 the pilot program shall widely publicize within the 

5 school the availability of free fruits and vegetables 

6 under the pilot program. 

7 ‘‘(3) REPORT.—Not later than May 1, 2007, 

8 the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of 

9 the Economic Research Service, shall report to the 

10 Committee on Education and the Workforce of the 

11 House of Representatives and the Committee on Ag12 riculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate on 

13 the results of the pilot program. 

14 ‘‘(4) ADMINISTRATIVE COST.—A participating 

15 school may use no more than 20 percent of the allo16 cated funding for administrative expenses during the 

17 first year of the program. In subsequent years of the 

18 program schools may expend no more than 10 per19 cent of the funding on administrative expenses. 

20 ‘‘(5) FUNDING.—Of the amount specified in 

21 section 10603(a) of the Farm Security and Rural 

22 Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 612c–4(a)) (made 

23 available under section 32 of the Act of August 24, 

24 1935 (7 U.S.C. 612c)), the Secretary shall use not 

25 more than $75,000,000 for each year of the pro-
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1 gram to carry out this subsection. The Secretary 

2 shall ensure that carrying out this subsection does 

3 not reduce the level of commodity assistance pro4 vided under section 6.’’.

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