This week, child nutrition is front and center in the news. Advocacy groups take heed as the government tackles a number of Congressional bills pivotal to our futures health.

• The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition evaluates Senator Leahy’s Growing Farm to School Programs Act (S. 3123) and the Child Nutrition Bill, both introduced in Congress this week. The proposed Child Nutrition Bill would increase spending on school meal programs by $4.5 billion over the next 10 years, with provisions to increase federal reimbursement rate for school meals, improve quality of the meals, and mandate that the Department of Agriculture develop nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools, not just what is served at lunch.
• At the Huffington Post, Debra Eschmeyer tackles the Farm to School program as recently discussed at the House Committee on Education and Labor hearing. Republican Rush Holt from New Jersey is calling for legislation that would make Farm to School funding mandatory. S. 3123 bill proposed would provide start-up funds to communities to link farmers and ranchers to the school lunch program.
• Mrs. Obama knows that the childhood obesity epidemic cannot be solved “by passing a bunch of laws in Washington.” Wise words communicated to the Grocery Manufacturers Association where she affirmed, “We need you not just to tweak around the edges, but to entirely rethink the products that you’re offering, the information that you provide about these products, and how you market those products to our children.” Her compelling speech is available at Obama Foodorama blog.
• Beverage companies are taking part in the momentum. This week, PepsiCo announced that they were voluntarily stopping sales of full-sugar soft drinks to primary and secondary schools worldwide by 2012. Cheers from policy and public health leaders who regard this as an important development to support healthy nutrition globally.
• Scientific American reports on a Farmer’s Market in the Bronx that has added incentives to the federal food stamp program. Those shopping at the market with a food stamp debit card receive a stack of wooden tokens worth a dollar apiece. For every five they spend on produce, they win a $2 coupon to buy more.
• Policy Link and The Food Trust released the “Grocery Gap” report which provides a comprehensive review and analysis of 132 healthy food access studies conducted in the United States in the past 20 years. The data supports the rising concern of “food deserts” where access to healthful foods is a strong predictor of overweight and obesity rates.
• Cornucopia dissects three decades worth of research reviewed by a study in the Nutrition Journal revealing that grass-fed beef is higher in Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) and antioxidants than compared to grain-fed live stock. Grass-fed beef was also found to have less overall fat.
• The Washington Post looks into a local slaughterhouse in Virginia and discusses greater transparency in how meat is processed and sold.
• A few interesting articles on the GE foods debate:  Despite the denial from a federal judge in California to temporarily ban genetically engineered (GE) sugar beets and sugar beet seeds, the judge indicated that a more permanent solution may be forthcoming. An article from USA Today discusses how China’s move to genetically-engineered rice and cotton is shifting the “Frankenfoods” debate.
• Finally (since a dietitian is providing these links), Marion Nestle shares practical advice for those looking to get the most bang for their nutritional buck when preparing vegetables.