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 Com-
mittee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To promote improved nutrition for students by expanding 
the Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program under the Rich-
ard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be referred to as the ‘‘Healthy Nutri-
tion for America’s Children Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following:
(1) The United States faces a continuing chal-
lenge in improving the quality of the Nation’s diet 
as the economic costs of poor nutrition, which con-
tributes to coronary heart disease, cancer, stroke, 
and diabetes, 4 of the 10 leading causes of death, 
is significant. 
(2) Consumption of a healthy diet including nu-
tritionally rich fruit and vegetables is essential for 
normal growth and development, and critical to pro-
moting health and preventing an array of chronic 
diseases, as an estimated 1⁄3 of cancer deaths could 
be prevented by healthy diets. 
(3) Most children do not meet the minimum 
recommended guidelines of 5 servings a day of fruit 
and vegetables, with only 15 percent of elementary 
students consuming the recommended requirement, 
and 1⁄4 of adults. 
(4) Among needy students, school nutrition pro-
grams often provide the primary opportunity for 
consumption of nutritionally valuable foods. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are: 
(1) To extend, expand, and enhance Federal 
nutrition policies that recognize and directly encour-
age consumption of fruits and vegetables as critical
to promoting health and preventing an array of 
chronic diseases. 
(2) To develop nutrition policies that increase 
awareness and understanding of the benefits pro-
vided by fruits and vegetables with respect to disease 
prevention and health promotion, as fruit and vege-
table consumption is an important component of a 
balanced diet. 
(3) To elevate the Federal government’s invest-
ment in nutrition program priorities to better ad-
dress the significant role fruit and vegetables play in 
health promotion and disease prevention for the 
neediest Americans. 
SEC. 3. FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PILOT PROGRAM. 
Section 18(g) of the Richard B. Russell National 
School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1769(g)) is amended to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(g) FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PILOT PROGRAM.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In the school year begin-
ning July 2004 and for each subsequent school year 
through 2009, the Secretary shall carry out a pilot 
program to make available to students in 25 elemen-
tary or secondary schools in each of 50 States, and 
in elementary or secondary schools on 10 Indian res-
ervations, free fresh and dried fruits and fresh vege-
tables throughout the school day in 1 or more areas 
designated by the school. 
‘‘(2) PUBLICITY.—A school that participates in 
the pilot program shall widely publicize within the 
school the availability of free fruits and vegetables 
under the pilot program. 
‘‘(3) REPORT.—Not later than May 1, 2007, 
the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of 
the Economic Research Service, shall report to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Ag-
riculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate on 
the results of the pilot program. 
‘‘(4) ADMINISTRATIVE
COST.—A participating 
school may use no more than 20 percent of the allo-
cated funding for administrative expenses during the 
first year of the program. In subsequent years of the 
program schools may expend no more than 10 per-
cent of the funding on administrative expenses. 
‘‘(5) FUNDING.—Of the amount specified in 
section 10603(a) of the Farm Security and Rural 
Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 612c–4(a)) (made 
available under section 32 of the Act of August 24, 
1935 (7 U.S.C. 612c)), the Secretary shall use not 
more than $75,000,000 for each year of the pro-
gram to carry out this subsection. The Secretary 
shall ensure that carrying out this subsection does 
not reduce the level of commodity assistance pro-
vided under section 6.’’.
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