$4.5 billion legislation has been passed in Washington on Thursday by senate under first lady Michelle Obama which aims at reducing child obesity as well as providing reduced cost meals to the needy.
The bill had not been passed and enforced before the White House itself got involved with the passing of the bill. President Barack Obama helped to assure Tom Coburn that the cost of the bill would not be a potential problem and told that the legislation was paid for the same. This bill had been very important for Blanche Lincoln who was the agricultural chairwoman of the senate and a tough contender for the election races. The very first supporter of this bill was none other than First Lady Michelle Obama who was happy with the fact that American schools would now provide healthier food and reduce the amount of sugary drink in a child’s cup holder.
The overall effect of this bill would not be felt in terms of change in the items but change in the ingredients of the items. This fact holds good for both the schools as well as the vending machines. The standards have been raised considerably with the collaborative action by the biggest food and beverage companies and the public health advocates. This united effort to provide the children with more of nutrient based foods has helped the schools to refrain from junk food items.
The agricultural department has a pretty big responsibility in front of it after the passage of this bill. It is the agricultural department only, which has to now decide the limitations on ingredients to be used in food recipes and also to check the items to be sold in the market (almost as closely watched as regulations on wheelchair accessories).
The deal to move the legislation also included a portion regarding the scheme of paying for the legislation. The Senate passed the bill which separated a part of future funding of about $2.2 billion in favor of food stamp programs. This was done after some farm-state senators objected to use the subsidy money.
Another such bill is still pending to be passed. On the other side, Hunger advocates have of late decided to oppose it. The opinion given by Jim Weill, the president of the food research and action center on Thursday tells that country is in a very bad state if food stamp benefits are being cut. Lincoln said that the money was used in child nutrition (worrying what’s in a drink holder) so that it could not be used in other less important issues like paying for a jobs bill.
