American School Food Service Association Release No. 0065.98 Remarks of Secretary Dan Glickman American School Food Service Association 26th Annual Legislative Conference Washington, D.C. -- February 9, 1998 Thank you Melinda for that introduction and for the work you and everyone here do for America. I also want to thank this organization for giving me Shirley Watkins, USDA's new Under Secretary for Food and Nutrition Services. She needs no introduction here. You know, when Shirley was in Memphis running the school lunch program, she would re-route left-over food headed for the dumpster to local food banks. Eventually, we learned about her initiative, and we were so impressed with her efforts that she is now my top deputy in the federal anti-hunger effort. I talk all the time about improving the lives of our fellow Americans by fighting hunger and improving nutrition. But I must admit, I feel a bit humbled standing here with all of you. It reminds me of that joke about dairy cows: two dairy cows are grazing along the side of the road. A milk truck drives by. On the side of it -- in big capital letters and exclamation points -- it reads: Pasteurized! Homogenized! Vitamin-enriched! Good for you!' The one dairy cow turns to the other dairy cow and says, kind of makes you feel inadequate, doesn't it?' That's sort of how I feel right now speaking to some of the most important foot soldiers in America's war on hunger. In his State of the Union, President Clinton had a lot to say about how strong our nation is today. The strongest economy in a generation; the first balanced budget in a generation; the lowest unemployment in a quarter century, and low interest rates that are enabling more Americans to buy a home, start a business, or send a child to college. We are in such a good position today, that President Clinton is now working to drive the deficit down to zero and shore up social security -- priorities that many Americans had all but given up hope could ever be accomplished. President Clinton also has made it clear that in the coming century, the power of our minds will determine the strength of our nation. Our highest priority must be making sure that every child receives a quality education and, through it, a chance to live their American dream. And, when we talk about improving education, we must talk not just about increasing the number of teachers and decreasing class size -- or strengthening education standards and the buildings in which our children learn. We must also talk about making sure that all of our children show up for school ready to learn ... which is where all of you play such an important role. I know I'm preaching to the choir when I say that no child should ever have to try and learn on an empty stomach. No one here needs a study to tell them that, nor to be reminded that it isn't just how much a child eats, but what they eat that counts. Over three decades ago, President Kennedy focused this nation's attention on physical fitness and the importance of vigorous, regular exercise. Today, it is an integral part of every child's school day. Our challenge is to make that same strong link between a capable mind and a quality meal. This is especially critical at an early age. Study after study shows the connection between a nutritious diet and a child's mental alertness and cognitive development. Healthy food makes for healthy children and avid learners. That's the basic principle behind our child nutrition programs. REAUTHORIZATION Of course, everyone here knows that the school lunch program grew out of World War II, when young boys were showing up for the draft malnourished ... hardly a new problem. Napoleon noted that an army marches on its stomach.' Fortunately today, we have school nutrition programs not so our children can fight wars, but so they can contribute to a strong America. This is a critical time for our efforts. Right now, as child advocates, as education advocates, as anti-hunger advocates, we have an historic opportunity -- one this nation hasn't seen in 20 years -- to retool these programs that are serving our children well -- strengthening them and adapting them to today's circumstances. We're still hammering out the details of this Administration's proposal to reauthorize America's child nutrition programs. But we will send our plan to Congress shortly, and I promise you today: Our plan will reflect the priorities of an education-first administration. We have heard from you on a number of issues -- from making sure our kids have enough time to eat, which is something we're working closely on with the Department of Education -- to making sure that our programs don't bury you in paperwork, impeding our goal of feeding children. More broadly, we have to ask ourselves: how have the challenges facing us in education, and facing families in raising their children changed in the past 20 years? One obvious answer is the rise of single-parent and dual-income households. Demanding schedules are a fact of life for most families today. That often makes wholesome sit-down breakfasts a thing of the past. It's not really an income issue, so much as it is one of time. We just can't seem to find that elusive 25th hour in the day. SCHOOL BREAKFAST Can more schools help America's families bridge the gap -- giving parents the option of dropping their children off early, secure in the knowledge that they can get a healthy start, secure in the knowledge that if that family can't afford breakfast, children will not have to go without? It is my hope that working together, our answer can be yes.' We have made progress. In the past decade, we've more than doubled the number of children who get school breakfast, and nearly doubled the number of schools that are participating. But still today 19 million fewer children receive school breakfast than school lunch. Obviously, most are eating at home, but many are not. Soon USDA will launch a nationwide school breakfast campaign to educate families on the convenience and nutritional value of school breakfasts. Our reauthorization plan will also reflect a serious commitment to cutting through the red-tape that too often deters schools from running a breakfast program. I know that this is an important priority for all of you. FOOD SAFETY EDUCATION I also want to recognize school food service workers for your commitment to food safety. This organization has done a tremendous job highlighting the importance of safe-food handling. I know that USDA's Serving It Safe' seminar is making the rounds at schools to update kitchen and production staff on the latest techniques and information. This is an issue that hits home for every American family -- families have to trust that their government and those who prepare their food are putting their safety first. Right now, there is no silver bullet that can guarantee our food is safe. Our best bet is to make sure that -- at every point from farm to table -- we are vigilant. In his 1999 balanced budget, President Clinton made an historic investment in food safety -- giving a more than $100 million increase to everything from cutting-edge research, to consumer education, to inspections. Today, I am pleased to announce that two million of those proposed dollars will go to schools across the country to develop workshops to educate school food service providers about safe food handling practices. USDA and this Administration intend to be strong partners in your efforts to safeguard our children's health. NUTRITION EDUCATION Healthy, nutritious school meals will always be our shared goal. But we also want to encourage healthy eating habits that last a lifetime. USDA recently received a complaint from a mother whose daughter's kindergarten class took part in one of our nutrition education programs. Seems that now every time they go shopping, the little girl reads the labels and rejects anything that's unhealthy. Mom said that because her daughter was right, she couldn't correct her. Instead, the whole family has been forced to eat better. Now, I'm not one to deny anybody their occasional indulgence -- but I like to hear stories about families moving in the right direction, and leading healthier lives. And, I like to hear that our work in the classrooms is turning children into teachers in their own homes. Listen to this lecture: If you eat better, you're more physically fit and you can think more clearly.' Those are the words not of a nutritionist or a researcher, but a high school student in Idaho. The message does get through. If we give kids not just the facts, but how those facts can make a real difference in their lives, they will listen and learn. Diet is associated with five of the 10 leading causes of death in this country, including heart disease, stroke and cancer. If we can start young and really impress on our kids the importance of nutrition, then we can help produce a healthier America. SCHOOL LUNCH GLEANING I'd also like to see a less hungry America. Many of you may know that it's a personal mission of mine to make sure that good food doesn't go to waste so long as people go hungry. I want to thank the many of you who are already involved in food recovery efforts in your community. Every year, our nation throws away a quarter of its food -- much of it perfectly edible. Food that's in a dented can, produce that's shaped a bit funny, an extra pan of lasagna at a restaurant -- food that can't sell, but can feed people. The school nutrition programs are in a unique position to help. I know that it's more difficult for you because leftover food that can be saved for the next day must be, so we stretch tax dollars as far as they'll go. But we also know that sometimes, good food has nowhere to go but the dumpster. When that's the case, we need to put up a detour that gets that food to the hungry. This year USDA will award 12-14 grants of up to $10,000 to test sites around the country to develop food recovery efforts that are appropriate for the School Lunch Program. If successful, I hope that these efforts can lead to a nation-wide school lunch gleaning campaign -- helping ensure our children get what they need to eat -- in and out of school. CONCLUSION They say the measure of any generation is how well it prepares the next. This Administration is committed to giving every child a solid education that empowers them to face the challenges ahead. I want to thank all of you for being such strong allies in this effort. You are making a critical contribution to the growth and progress of our children and our nation. Thank you. # NOTE: USDA news releases and media advisories are available on the Internet. Access the USDA Home Page on the World Wide Web at http://www.usda.gov