Senator Dan Coats (R-Ind.) today joined with Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) to introduce the Fruit and Vegetable Access for Children Act. The bipartisan legislation would expand the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, which improves children’s in-school snacks in school districts with low-income families. The bill would allow the program to include all forms of fruits and vegetables, including fresh, frozen, canned, dried and pureed. This ensures that schools can more effectively use their program dollars, and it accommodates cold-weather states where local fruit and vegetable harvests are seasonal.
“School children should have access to a full range of healthy fruit and vegetable snack options,” said Coats. “This common-sense solution ensures children can enjoy an expanded array of nutritious snacks throughout the school year and schools can get more out of their program funds.”
Senator Donnelly said, “Providing children in need with access to nutritious fruits and vegetables is critical to building healthy diets, and I am proud to work with my colleagues to give school districts flexibility to operate such an important program.”
The full text of the bill can be found here.