will the new USDA dietary guidelines support healthy food movement? find out on monday

Are you  ready for the new food guidelines?  Well apparently, the USDA is getting ready to share them with you.  The question is, will they be consistent with the healthy food revolution that is taking place in our country and fully supportive of the recently-passed Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010?

As someone who cares a lot about child health, this is an important question to me.  If you are also interested in finding out about the new guidelines, here are several opportunities to

• learn about food policy

• how these policies might impact your family’s health and nutrition

• offer your feedback through public comment forums

Want to be one of the first to hear the new USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans?

UPDATE:

The release of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 was webcast at 10:00am ET on Monday, January 31, 2011.

For a press release of the announcement, a recorded copy of the webcast, and downloadable/printable version of the Policy Document and consumer materials which support and reflect the Dietary Guidelines visit the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.

Want to Offer Feedback on the Dietary Guidelines and other Nutrition Policies?

There will be a that you can access from the webcast link above if you would like to share your viewpoints on the dietary guidelines during the screening.

According to a story on NPR last fall, the USDA also plans to redesign the existing food pyramid based on the guidelines and public comment on them.  Keep an eye out for your opportunity to give input.

You can also check out the Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs that were announced on January 13th.  They are open for public comment on Regulations.gov until April 13th – let them know what you think.

Other Healthy Food Movement and School Nutrition Resources:

• Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 full text and White House fact sheet
• Child Nutrition Act (AKA Healthy Hunger-Free Kids ACT): 12 Key Changes The New Law Delivers
• Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution
• OpenIDEO, a community social good project sponsored by design and innovation firm IDEO, has produced a book which outlines the challenge of how we can raise kids’ awareness of the benefits of fresh food so they can make better choices.  The book lists the 17 winning concepts addressing this issue as voted by the OpenIDEO community and Jamie Oliver. Download the book by clicking on the icon.

• GOOD, a multi-media collaboration of individuals, businesses, and nonprofits pushing the world forward, recently sponsored a contest with the goal of building a new illustrated food guide that presents nutritional guidelines in a clear, simple, easy-to-understand graphic.  While it is just a design competition – not something that will be adopted by the USDA – the ideas are innovative and thought-provoking:  Winner Announced: Design a Better Food Pyramid
• Farm to School connects schools (K-12) and local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing agriculture, health and nutrition education opportunities, and supporting local and regional farmers
• Better School Food -  Steps to take and resources to use to help improve school lunch at your child’s school.
• Slow Food In Schools – a network of community-based youth food education projects supported by Slow Food USA
• Hungry for Change Cafeteria – an interactive site discussing pros and cons of school lunch options
• The Food Movement, Rising (NYTimes Essay), by Michael Pollan
• ,by Michael Pollan

I know there are a lot of blogs out there that talk about healthy eating, school lunches and nutrition.  If you have recommendations for interesting reads or want to share your views on these issues, please do so.