School Food Matters: Hunger, Obesity and Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act

According to advocates, families of at least 1 in 5 New York City children still rely on soup kitchens and food pantries, despite free school breakfast and subsidized school lunches. President Obama pledged to end child hunger in the US by 2015, and the reauthorization of the federal Child Nutrition Act is expected by September. What would it take, in this time of recession, to ensure that more children receive free'and higher quality, school food? Why are about one-quarter of New York City elementary school students obese? Can hurdles be cleared for a better approach, or is the government already doing what it can? http://youtu.be/Jm4cp_xqHgs

KEYNOTE BY: Kevin Concannon, Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, US Department of Agriculture

DISCUSSION WITH: Eric Goldstein, CEO, SchoolFood, NYC Department of Education Jan Poppendieck, author, Free for All: Fixing School Food in America Jonathan Stein, General Counsel, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia Jim Weill, President, Food Research and Action Center (FRAC)

MODERATOR: Fred Mogul, Reporter, WNYC radio

The event was generously supported by the Sirus Fund and the Milano Foundation.