2010 Press Releases
Organic Trade Association applauds amendment on organic pilot project
Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 includes language for organic in school feeding programs
For immediate release
Contact: Sue McGovern (781-648-7157; sue@mcgov.com)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 24, 2010)—The Organic Trade Association (OTA) today thanked Senator Sherrod Brown (OH), chair for the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Hunger, Nutrition and Family Farms, and Senator Patrick Leahy (VT) for gaining inclusion of an amendment for a pilot project to offer healthy organic food in school feeding programs in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 passed by the Senate Agriculture Committee today.
“In supporting OTA’s proposal for organic foods to have a role in healthy school feeding programs, Senator Brown as sponsor and Senator Leahy as co-sponsor of the amendment have taken the first step to help include organic products and all that they offer into national children’s feeding programs. The health status of our children is crucial to the well-being of our nation’s future, and the food that they are fed in schools is key to their health status,” said Christine Bushway, OTA’s Executive Director.
During the committee discussion, several members of Congress noted the organic pilot project ties directly to the goals of various national programs including First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move program and USDA’s Know Your Food, Know Your Farmer.
The amendment would authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to establish an organic food pilot program that would provide grants on a competitive basis to school food authorities to increase the amount of organic foods provided to schoolchildren under the school feeding program. The appropriations request for carrying out such an initiative for fiscal years 2011 through 2015 was set at $10 million. Current nutrition programs receive about $16 billion annually. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act would provide about $4.5 billion over ten years for expanding and new programs.
Bushway noted that Senate Agriculture Committee passage is just the first step in the legislative process. OTA plans to continue to inform Congress about the value of this pilot project as the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 moves toward final adoption.
OTA itself has recognized the contribution organic foods can make to children in our schools. OTA has under way an “Organic. It’s Worth It In Schools” initiative to encourage schools to access and offer more organic food. In this current campaign, teachers, parents, students, educators and others are encouraged to vote for their favorite school to win an organic garden or a fully stocked vending machine offering organic food choices by signing up for an electronic newsletter featuring organic tips, recipes, news and more. Throughout the initiative which ends May 1, OTA is also offering mini-campaigns in which schools can win other organic offerings in weekly contests.
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA’s Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTA's mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy (www.ota.com).
