Schools play a vital role in promoting children's health and well-being.
Students who eat school lunches tend to take in more whole grains, vegetables, and dairy and fewer refined sugars and empty calories than those who bring their lunches from home.
By 2025, it is estimated that 2014 healthy nutritional standards for all foods sold in schools will prevent 1.8 million cases of childhood obesity.
The American Heart Association (AHA) is working with the School Nutrition Association of Utah, the Utah PTA and others to ensure every Utah student has access to no-cost school meals so they have the nutrition they need to thrive and learn.
In addition, mounting school meal debt adds to the struggles many families face today.
In Utah, there's a lunch debt of nearly $3 million dollars.
The AHA and the School Nutrition Association of Utah is working with the Utah State Board of Education and others to change that, so that kids can have healthy meals at school without their families going into debt.
Representative Tyler Clancy is sponsoring a bill which would eliminate the reduced-price lunch category for free and reduced lunch and make that no cost for qualifying families.
