UPDATED - April 10, 2013

As a chef, food justice activist, and author, I’m thrilled to introduce this MomsRising Blog Carnival – Junk Free Schools! Many children consume up to half of their daily calories at school, and 40% of students purchase snack food at school. Today, schools across the country are serving healthier breakfasts and lunches because of recent updates to nutrition standards for school meals. But schools also provide foods and drinks outside of breakfast and lunch, many selling junk food snacks in vending machines and a la carte lines.

Yesterday, comments from more than 200,000 parents and community members from all over the country were submitted to the USDA to support proposed nutrition standards for all snacks sold in school. It is critical that we continue to encourage the USDA to implement strong standards. The health and wellness of our children is at stake.

I've been a chef and food justice advocate longer than I've been a dad, and as my daughter approaches school age, I want the healthful food environment our family tries to maintain to be supported, not derailed by my child's school.  I know that we can instill healthy eating - and snacking - habits in children, so long as healthy options are available to them everywhere.

Please read through and comment on these thoughtful pieces in the MomsRising blog carnival from parents and advocates. And more importantly, join the conversation and tell us your snack food story and why you support strong USDA nutrition standards for snack foods and beverages sold in schools.

Bettina Elias Siegel, The Lunch Tray
The Lunch Tray's Food-in-the-Classroom Manifesto

Dream Hampton, MomsRising.org Senior Fellow
Donuts v. Moms, Who Wins?

Kate Uslan, Alliance for a Healthier Generation
Keeping Vigil on the Vending: Why National Standards Are Important

Manel Kappagoda, ChangeLab Solutions
Are We Sending Our Kids Mixed Messages On Junk Food in Schools?

Yoli Ouiya, Yoli's Green Living
What's All This Talk About Competitive Foods?

Lisa Sharma Creighton, NEA Health Information Network
Raise Your Voice for Healthy Food in Schools

Monifa Bandele, MomsRising.org
Black Children At Greater Risk for Health Problems Because of Obesity

Chinara Tate, Student at Teachers College, Columbia University
Reducing Junk Food Access in Schools: Just About Obesity?

Stacy Whitman, Little Bites
Stop Feeding My Kid Junk At School

Sarah Griswold, Kentucky County Health Department
Even before they are school aged, toddlers are fed junk food at day care

Casey Hinds, KYhealthykids
Sugar, Diabetes and Whack-a-mole

Katy Farber, Non-Toxic Kids
5 Ways to Improve School Snacks

Nellie Acevedo, Brooklyn Active Mama
MomsRising.org Food Power! Conference Recap

Debbie Koenig, Parents Need to Eat Too
100 Days of Junk

Jack Rayburn, Trust for America's Health
Stronger Competitive Food Standards Give Children a Fighting Chance

Tanya Fields, BLK Projek
Who's Keeping Our Kids Unhealthy?

Emily Shuford, ChildObesity180
School physical activity programs pioneered by moms, attracting attention of First Lady, expanding nationwide through innovative grants opportunity

Elizabeth Brotherton, PreventObesity.net
Forget the Holidays. For Some Students, Unhealthy Snacks are around All Year Long

Cynthia Liu, PreventObesity.net
Snack Does Not Equal Sugar

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner & Claire Moshenberg, MomsRising.org
School Rules=Lower Obesity

Margie Kelly
Skip Junk Foods in School

Daphne Channel
No More Junk in School Foods

Ola Ronke, So Hum Studios
Healthy environment for healthy children

Yvelette Stines, Calming Corners
Vernon the Vegetable Man Encourages Children to Live a Healthy Lifestyle

Lift your voice! Let the USDA know that you support nutritional standards for snack foods in public schools by signing the petition here (http://moms.ly/USDAnow) or by texting "NOJUNK" to 747464.