Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman today announced that the U. S. Department of Agriculture is joining a new national partnership to promote healthy eating by children in schools. The American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Dietetic Association, the National Medical Association and the National Hispanic Medical Association have committed their memberships to work with schools and communities to recognize the health and educational benefits of balanced eating and the importance of making it a priority in every school. Ten key principles are outlined to assist each school community in writing its own prescription for change.
Recent research indicates that students across the country are flunking healthy eating.
The partnership, signed today by Shirley Watkins, Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services at USDA, is one of the steps USDA is undertaking to promote nutrition and good health, following last week's release of the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans at the National Nutrition Summit.