Today I'm going to an eat-in organized by Slow Food USA whose theme is to get healthy foods into schools cafeterias:

 http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/campaign/time_for_lunch/the_platform/

 The eat-in is a pot luck lunch or dinner organized by Slow Food USA in 300 cities across the nation this Labor Day when people come together in the neighborhood to eat good food SLOWLLLLY and savor each bite. Also we can discuss how to get good, healthy food into schools' cafeterias so children won't grow up to be obese and get early onset diabetes. Now 1 in 3 U.S. children are overweight and 1 in 4 will develope diabetes in their lifetimes.

I had a friend Carol Tarlen die from diabetes  so I think getting people to avoid diabetes is important. I saw Carol suffer the last years of her life from the diabetes and also from the heart disease which it caused. Diabetes is a heart breaking disease.  So its important to get the junk food out of the schools and get in healthy food.

The National Day of Action on children's lunch says, "This fall, the Child Nutrition Act, which is the bill that governs the National School Lunch Program, is up for reauthorization in Congress. By passing a Child Nutrition Act that works for children, our nation can take the first step towards a future where no child is denied his or her right to be healthy and where every child enjoys real food. That’s why it’s time for Congress and the Obama Administration to:

1. Invest in children’s health.
   Give schools just one dollar more per day for each child’s lunch. Under the National School Lunch Program, the USDA reimburses schools for every meal served: $2.57 for a free lunch, $2.17 for a reduced-price lunch and 24 cents for a paid lunch. Since these reimbursements must also pay for labor, equipment and overhead costs, schools are left with only $1.00 to spend on food. How can schools be expected to feed our children and protect their health with only a dollar a day? It’s time to build a strong foundation for our children’s health by raising the reimbursement rate to $3.57.
2. Protect against food that puts children at risk.
   Establish strong standards for all food sold at school, including food from vending machines and school fast food. At most schools, children can buy junk food in vending machines, at on-campus stores and in the cafeteria as “a la carte” items. These overly processed, high-calorie “fast” foods sneak under the radar of federal nutrition standards. They undermine the National School Lunch Program’s investment in children’s health and allow food companies to profit from selling obesity. It’s time to take the first step towards making real food the standard by approving Rep. Woolsey’s and Sen. Harkin’s Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act of 2009.
3. Teach children healthy habits that will last through life.
   Fund grants for innovative Farm to School programs and school gardens. ... Every child deserves the opportunity to learn healthy eating habits at school. In 2004, a section was added to the Child Nutrition Act to provide schools with grants to cover one-time grants that enable them to purchase local foods and to teach lessons on healthy eating in kitchen and garden classrooms – but Congress never appropriated funds for it. This year, it’s time for Congress to guarantee $50 million of mandatory funding for Farm to School programs.

We also ask that Congress and the Obama Administration:

1. Give schools the incentive to buy local.
   Establish financial incentives that encourage schools to buy food from local farms for all child nutrition programs. Buying fruits and vegetables from local farms is an economic engine for creating jobs in our communities, rebuilding rural economies, and supporting family farmers. By shortening the distance food travels – from farm to table – it also saves oil and ensures school foods are as fresh and healthy as possible.
2. Create green jobs with a School Lunch Corps.
   Train underemployed Americans to be the teachers, farmers, cooks, and administrators our school cafeterias need. We can’t serve real food in schools without investing in school kitchens and the people who prepare and serve lunch. This spring, President Obama signed the Serve America Act, which expanded Americorps and reinforced his call for Americans to serve their country. Right now, our nation has an opportunity to train young and unemployed Americans to be the teachers, farmers, cooks and administrators we need to ensure the National School Lunch Program is protecting children’s health. President Obama has called for an end to childhood hunger by 2015; let’s answer that call by putting Americans to work building and working in school kitchens nationwide."

 If you looks up the link I included, one can find all the eat-ins across the nation and join one today Labor Day.

 Happy Labor Day!

Happy eating!