Four key points to new campaign; Congressional responses after the jump...First Lady Michelle Obama may be the only first lady in US history to have made the phrase "food desert" a part of her daily vocabulary.
As another brick on the road to the Feb. 9 launch of her child obesity campaign, today Mrs. Obama met with Cabinet Secretaries and members of Congress at the White House, to discuss her plans and seek advice. Food deserts--the lack of access to healthy fresh foods--were the topic of much discussion.
As was the subject of the federally funded school breakfast and lunch programs. A big component of Mrs. Obama's project will be changing the food standards for the programs, to dramatically improve these and include more fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains, Mrs. Obama said today.
The First Lady noted that this is crucial, because the school breakfast and lunch programs offer "an opportunity to impact more than 30 million kids." About 32 percent of children in America are overweight, with 17 percent of these being classified as obese.
Mrs. Obama's meeting, held in the Old family Dining Room, was closed to press, because Mrs. Obama wanted to have a serious sit-down with those who actually make the policy that has to do with school foods and child health. Seated around the dining-cum-conference table were Congressional leaders who chair the committees that fund and set standards for the federal nutrition programs--four Senators and two House Members--as well as three Cabinet Secretaries: Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Mrs. Obama's campaign is scheduled to be officially rolled out next Tuesday, Feb. 9. (Above: Mrs. Obama at the meeting with Sec. Sebelius, at left, and Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) on her right)
Before the meeting started, the press pool was allowed to listen to Mrs. Obama's opening remarks.
"I'm really looking for gui
dance and input, insight, given the experience that you've had over the years," Mrs. Obama told her official guests. "What you've seen on the ground, what you think will work, what we need to shy away from. All of that is going to be helpful to know before we launch this effort."Mrs. Obama said that she believes child obesity is "imminently solvable."
“Truly, this is an issue that’s got to be ground up,” the First Lady said. “It’s something that requires bipartisan engagement.”
She noted that families, schools, businesses, nonprofits and government--including mayors and governors--must work together on the issue.
"Anyone who has access to children in their lives is going to have to work together," Mrs. Obama said. (Above, Mrs. Obama with Sec. Sebelius)
Four points of action
The First Lady said her campaign will be based on four key points: Encouraging schools to promote healthy eating, increasing physical activity for kids, improving families' access to healthy foods, and giving parents better information about healthy choices.
"One of the tougher challenges that we need to look at is improving the accessibility and affordability of foods because there are many food deserts in this nation," Mrs. Obama said. "Which makes it difficult for families trying to access good options. And we also want to do more to empower consumers to make better choices in their own lives."
The press was then ushered out, and no doubt Mrs. Obama got an earful from those gathered. Read a transcript of Mrs. Obama's remarks here.
Mrs. Obama's visitors respond
After their meeting with the First Lady, the members of Congress and the Cabinet Secretaries held a press gaggle outside the White House, to discuss the meeting with reporters.
Agriculture Secretary Vilsack said the First Lady's commitment to the child obesity issue could make "a fundamental difference" nationally. He's lauded her previously as being the perfect spokesperson for child health, since she's a mother and role model.
Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark) also lauded Mrs. Obama's efforts, but she had a dire warning. Lincoln chairs the Senate Agriculture committee, which will be controlling the upcoming reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act. Lincoln told reporters that tight budgets mean the government will need to "use what we have" rather than expect additional money. Lincoln's big problem with better school lunches?
"Healthier foods like whole grain fruits and vegetables tend to cost more than processed foods, and take more effort to prepare," Sen. Lincoln said. Listen to a full reaction from Lincoln here [MP3].
Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), the Agriculture Committee Ranking Member, issued a statement following the meeting that laid the responsibility for child obesity squarely on the shoulders of parents."We need to call on parents first and foremost to take an active role in providing healthy foods at home and engaging in physical activity with their children every day," said Sen. Chambliss. "While steps can and should be taken to improve the nutrition environment in schools, improve access to healthy foods, and engage health providers in the fight against obesity, nothing can replace the direct involvement of caregivers at home."
Rep. George Miller (D-CA) was far more enthusiastic about Mrs. Obama's campaign. He chairs the House Education and Labor Committee.
"We have an opportunity to do something dramatic," Rep. Miller said, and called for universal access for child nutrition programs.
"As we work to rewrite our child nutrition laws this year, we must focus on eliminating any barriers to these programs, so that all eligible children have access to healthier foods and nutrition education whether in school, child care, or at home," Rep. Miller said.
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) said that Mrs. Obama's campaign "holds the promise of making real progress."
"The First Lady is rightly addressing this issue on every front," Sen. Harkin said. "We are examining ways to get parents the information they need to make their kids healthier, make communities more suited to play and excercise, and increase access to healthier foods."
Sen. Harkin chairs the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. He's had a long interest in obesity issues. (Above: Harkin speaks with media following the meeting; at left is Miller, and at right is Lincoln, Vilsack, Sebelius and Duncan)
Yesterday, federal child nutrition programs received what Sec. Vilsack regards as full funding for the 2011 budget, which is a $1 billion allotment annually for the next ten years. But that's not much more than the programs currently receive--a boost of about twenty cents per meal per child.
The White House is fully aware of budget constraints for school foods. Last Fall, Mrs. Obama hosted the Healthy Kids Fair on the South Lawn, which featured White House chefs and guest chefs cooking outdoors, to demonstrate how to make healthy meals with the kind of ingredients that are already available to schools that participate in the federal school breakfast and lunch programs. The point of that event? The White House appears to believe that school lunches need a big dose of creativity and the professional skills of chefs, not necessarily more federal cash. Money and help from private business sources and non-profits are being actively encouraged, however, in order to get major changes in what and how schools feed children--this seems to be a big part of Mrs. Obama's upcoming campaign, too.
The other congressional members present at today's meeting: Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Ranking Member; and Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN), House Agriculture Committee Chair.
The roll out for the official launch of Mrs. Obama's campaign has been carefully managed, because it's her first effort to lead an administration-wide initiative, and that's caused problems for other first ladies (think former First Lady Hillary Clinton and health care). So far, the rollout has included Mrs. Obama addressing the US Conference of Mayors, and last week's mini-summit on child obesity with Surgeon General Regina Benjamin and Sec. Sebelius at a nearby YMCA. The President focused the national spotlight on Mrs. Obama's efforts during his State of the Union address, too, when he lauded her efforts from the podium.
Related: The President's 2011 budget includes funding for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative. Mrs. Obama's address to the US Conference of Mayors is here. A White House video of the entire YMCA mini-summit is here. The full transcript of the First Lady's YMCA remarks is here. Read about the Surgeon general's report on combating obesity here. A post about the Healthy Kids Fair at the White House is here. Update, Feb.3: The day after the meeting with Cabinet Secretaries and members of Congress, Mrs. Obama discussed her campaign with Today show's Matt Lauer. Watch a video of their exchange here. Food Initiative Coordinator Sam Kass also appeared on Today, and gave Al Roker an onscreen lesson in cooking a healthy breakfast.
Getty photos.
