milk alternatives in schools??

[Guest guest]

Please help US get soymilk in schools

 

The United States Congress is currently reviewing the Child Nutrition Acts

which create federal food programs such as the School Lunch Program, the

School Breakfast Program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for

Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program. Under the current statutes,

participating organizations must provide cow's milk at every meal in order to

receive reimbursement from the USDA. This makes milk the only beverage

available to children in the program, meaning there are no alternative

choices to cow's milk unless parents provide a note from a physician stating

a medical need or school officials begin purchasing beverages out of their

already tight budgets.

 

As part of the review process, Congress will hold hearings on this matter in

the coming months. In the meantime, please encourage your federal

legislators to sponsor an amendment to the statutes to require the USDA to

reimburse for non-dairy alternatives and require schools to make non-dairy

alternatives available on a daily basis without any proof of medical need.

In addition, please voice your concerns to the committees that will be

holding the hearings as part of the reauthorization of the statutes and the

Food and Nutrition Service.

 

The following is a sample letter provided by Mindy Kursban, General Counsel

for the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine.

 

Amendment to the National School Lunch Act to add Soymilk

 

Dear Representative/Senator (last name):

The National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act, which authorize

the school lunch program as well as all other federal nutrition programs, are

up for reauthorization. Therefore, I am writing to urge you to sponsor and

support an amendment to these statutes that would require the addition of

non-dairy beverages, such as calcium-fortified soymilks, as mandatory

reimbursable alternatives to cow's milk in all of the child nutrition

programs, especially the school lunch program.

(Brief personal background information)

I was surprised to learn that the USDA still refuses to reimburse a school

for a lunch that includes a non-dairy beverage such as soymilk except in

cases of medical need. Rather, cow's milk is required as part of a

" qualifying " meal in order for that school to receive reimbursement by the

USDA, income which some school systems depend on for more than half of their

cafeteria funds.

Soymilk is lower in fat and cholesterol than cow's milk, does not have the

hormones found in cow's milk, and is easier for many people, especially

minority children, to digest. African Americans, Latinos, Asians, and most

other ethnic populations except those of Northern European ancestry all have

a high incidence of lactose intolerance, which means they cannot easily

digest cow's milk. As reported in the Washington Post on April 14, 2002, the

National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse estimates that 30

million to 50 million Americans are unable to digest lactose.

Additionally, studies have shown that soy may have a positive effect on

everything from cancer, osteoporosis, and heart disease to menopausal

symptoms. As for the nutritional package of soymilk, most brands today

contain the same levels of calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin A, potassium, and

several B vitamins as cow's milk.

I hope you will lead the efforts to amend the child nutrition statutes to

include the mandatory provision of soymilk by initiating this needed

legislation.

Thank you for your consideration of this issue. I look forward to your

reply.

Sincerely,

Please remember to include your name and address on the envelope and the

letter. One page, hand-written, letters work best. Please keep the letter

polite, positive, non-threatening and to the point. Clearly state what you

want using facts to support your argument.

 

Please send letters to the following addresses:

 

Senators

The Honorable (first and last name)

U.S. Senate

Washington, DC 20510

 

Representatives

The Honorable (first and last name)

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20515

 

Peter Murano, Associate Deputy Administrator

Special Nutrition Program

USDA Food and Nutrition Service

3101 Park Center Dr., Rm. 510

Alexandria, VA 22302

Tel.: 703-305-2052

Fax: 703-305-2782

 

Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510-6000

Tel: 202-224-2035

Fax: 202-224-9287

 

House Committee on Education and the Workforce

2181 Rayburn House Office Building

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, DC 20515

Tel: 202-225-4527

Fax: 202-225-9571

 

You can locate your Senator or Representative by visiting

http://www.house.gov/ and http://www.senate.gov/ or by checking your local

phone book.

 

For more information, please contact the Physician's Committee For

Responsible Medicine at http://www.pcrm.org or 202-686-2210