Child Nutrition Act: Difference between revisions

{{Use mdy dates|date = March 2019}}The '''Child Nutrition Act of 1966''' ('''CNA''') is a United States federal law (act) signed on October 11, 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The Act was created as a result of the "years of cumulative successful experience under the [[National School Lunch Program]] (NSLP) to help meet the nutritional needs of children."  The National School Lunch Program feeds 30.5 million children per day (as of 2007). NSLP was operated in over 101,000 public and nonprofit private schools in 2007.<ref name=AW>[http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/September08/ ''Amber Waves''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619230557/http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/September08/ |date=2012-06-19 }}, September 2008, [[USDA Economic Research Service]]</ref> The [[Special Milk Program]], functioning since 1954, was extended to June 30, 1970 and incorporated into the act. The act also provided Federal funding assistance towards non-food purchases for school equipment.

The act established the [[School Breakfast Program]], a federally assisted meal program that provides low-cost or free breakfasts to children in public and non-profit schools as well as child care institutions. During the signing of the act, the president remarked that "good food is essential to good learning."

It is important for food programs such as these in schools because some students may receive all their meals from school. According to the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|CDC]], a poor diet can lead to energy imbalance (e.g., eating more calories than one expends through physical activity) and can increase one’s risk for overweight and obesity. Without a well balanced diet it could cause a child's brain to not develop normally (Berger, 172). Children may be malnourished and could possibly suffer from Protein-calorie malnutrition (Berger 172). In the long run if children do suffer from lack of nutrients it will not only impede brain growth but affect their ability to learn as well (Berger, 172).