ISSUES BRIEF

NUTRITIONCHALLENGECapitol Hill has been embroiled in a battle over healthier school meals. Fruits and vegetables have become a target, with efforts to repeal some of the new fruit and vegetable requirements for school lunch and breakfast. Increasing children’s fruit and vegetable consumption is a top priority for the country in combating the childhood obesity crisis. Healthier school meals, including more fresh fruits and vegetables, are an important policy lever for accomplishing that goal. Protecting the fruit and vegetable requirements in school meals is a top priority for United Fresh Produce Association.

BACKGROUNDIn 2010, on a bipartisan basis, Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger- Free Kids Act. This landmark legislation required USDA to update nutrition standards based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, for the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. One of the primary goals of the new school meals nutrition standards, issued in January 2012, was to increase student’s access to and consumption of fruits and vegetables. Specifically, the new nutrition standards required schools to increase the variety and amount of fruits and vegetables served daily and increase whole grains and low-fat dairy while reducing sodium and calories. Also, students are now required to select at least a ½ cup of a fruit or a vegetable at breakfast and lunch.

Unfortunately, the School Nutrition Association is working to repeal the requirement that students must select at least a ½ cup serving of a fruit or vegetable at breakfast and lunch, claiming that this is increasing costs and contributing to plate waste. This fight over school meals has played out through the FY2015 House and Senate Agricultural Appropriations Bills; the House bill contains a provision that allows schools a one-year waiver if they can show financial hardship, whereas the Senate bill essentially protects the new nutrition standards. If waivers were allowed, schools could claim that offering more fruits and vegetables is a financial hardship. Although USDA estimates that over 90% of schools nationwide are successfully implementing the new school lunch standards, the new school breakfast and Smarts Snacks in Schools standards go into effect with the 2014-15 school year.

In January 2015 when the 114th Congress takes office, the school meals fight will be center stage again as Congress begins work on the 2015 Child Nutrition Reauthorization, legislation that reauthorizes all child nutrition programs every five years.

ACTIONTell Congress to protect the fruit and vegetable requirements in healthier school meals that are essential to improving children’s health and reducing childhood obesity. Tell Congress not to repeal the requirement that students select a ½ cup of fruits and vegetables at breakfast and lunch. How can you call it a school lunch or school breakfast if it doesn’t have at least a ½ cup of fruits or vegetables? The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that all of us “make ½ our plate fruits and vegetables at each meal, shouldn’t this start at school? This is about our children’s health and creating an environment in schools where children have access to great tasting fresh fruits and vegetables every day.

The Issues Brief summarizes two key issues that we will discuss with Members of Congress and their staffs during the March on Capitol Hill. Please review this background information and familiarize yourself with the calls to action for each issue.

IMMIGRATIONCHALLENGEMembers of the produce industry are all too familiar with the challenges that come with trying to secure a stable, experienced workforce. Delays in getting workers, workers who can’t or won’t do the job, or who don’t have the skills to do the job are unfortunately common occurrences when you’re trying to get fresh produce out of the field and on to consumers. The need for long-term, profound changes to our nation’s immigration system is readily apparent to anyone in our industry. And yet for years, Congress has failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform in spite of the obvious dysfunction in America’s immigration policies. The White House is now reviewing what the President can do to make changes to immigration policy. With immigration reform in limbo, fruit and vegetable providers pay the price of uncertainty in their labor force.

BACKGROUNDIn 2013, major progress was made in Congress toward enactment of reform. The Senate passed a comprehensive package containing provisions that would have stabilized the current agriculture workforce and secured a reliable guest worker program for the future. The House of Representatives took steps toward reform with action in the House Judiciary Committee. Negotiations among various factions in the House continued through the rest of 2013 and into 2014. However, political resistance to reform remained strong and intractable, ultimately derailing chances for passing immigration reform in the House. Earlier this summer, with Congressional action stalled, the President stated his intention to move forward with any Executive Branch action possible. Currently, the White House is considering options for changes to immigration policy, but the President has yet to announce what steps he will take.

ACTIONThe produce industry will work with the Administration whenever possible on presidential initiatives to ease the ag labor crisis. However, relief through a patchwork of executive orders from the President could easily evaporate. Executive Branch actions will not provide the permanent legislative change that is needed. What will truly ease unnecessary labor shortages and resulting lost crops experienced by our industry is an overhaul of an immigration system that is deeply flawed. We need a path to legal status for our long-time workforce and a future guest worker program to meet our labor needs. Congress needs to find the will to do the job that we, their constituents, sent them to Washington to do. Congress needs to pass legislation to prevent further damage to American businesses and rising costs to consumers. Our industry needs reform that secures the current workforce and provides a stable workforce in the future. Tell Congress to do their job and pass immigration reform NOW!