NEA HIN Launches National Healthy Schools Competition
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014
Contact: Malkia “Kia” McLeod/NEA HIN
Phone: 202-822-7786
E-mail: [email protected]
NEA HIN Launches National Healthy Schools Competition
National Education Association Health Information Network looking for schools leading the way in giving students healthier snack and drink options
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014) – What’s on the menu in public schools? A creative national schools competition that kicked off today seeks to answer how schools can “Bag the Junk.”
Since the updated U.S. Department of Agriculture Smart Snacks standards went into effect on July 1, 2014, schools across the nation have been required to offer snacks with more fruit, vegetables and whole grains. Educators, food service and other support professionals, students, parents, and school administrators are invited to share their successes and challenges in providing healthier options in vending machines, cafeteria à la carte lines, school stores, and fundraisers.
Bag the Junk’s National Schools Competition, “The Smart Snacks Roundup,” is designed to create an online forum where schools can share their “best practices” for implementing the new standards. Bag the Junk is a program of the National Education Association Health Information Network (NEA HIN), supported in part by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
“This is a new era in the nation’s public school systems. As educators and parents, we must all join the fight against childhood obesity,” said Jim Bender, NEA HIN’s Executive Director. “This competition will do much to show schools what is possible when we work together toward making schools healthier and ensuring that our children develop healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.”
Kids can get up to half of their daily calories at school, and healthier policies can have an impact. From 2009 to 2012, the percentage of elementary school students who could buy unhealthy snack foods at school dropped from 47 to 23 percent. High-school students’ access fell from 76 to 65 percent, while middle schools decreased from 63 to 54 percent of students able to purchase unhealthy snack foods at school. However, the greatest strides have been made this current school year. Districts and schools that transitioned well to healthy snack options have much to share with those still resolving kinks. That’s why Bag the Junk is calling everyone involved in public schools to participate in “The Smart Snacks Roundup” competition.
The competition rules are simple. Participants must submit a creative photo, video or narrative describing how their schools have implemented the Smart Snacks standards to www.BagtheJunk.org by Friday, March 6, 2015. The Grand-Prize, second, third, and 10 Honorable Mention winners will be notified by Wednesday, March 25, 2015.
For more information about Bag the Junk’s National Schools Competition, “The Smart Snacks Roundup,” please visit: www.BagtheJunk.org or e-mail [email protected]
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About NEA Health Information Network
The NEA Health Information Network (NEA HIN) is the non-profit health and safety arm of the National Education Association. The organization provides health and safety information, programs, and services for the benefit of over three million NEA members and 43 million students. NEA HIN’s mission is to improve the health and safety of the school community through dissemination of information that empowers school professionals and positively impacts the lives of their students.