Greetings! This week we're unpacking the new menu labeling rule. Over 7,000 of us spoke out in support of the final rule - well done, we did it! We're also sharing an urgent call-to-action around lead, resources from two of our fab Good Food Force bloggers, our new bumper sticker and more. As always, THANK YOU for sharing this email with anyone who's equally passionate about healthy families and communities. Have a great week!
1. TOP STORIES
Demand Action on Lead!
Wow. Half a million children in the US ages 1-5 have unsafe levels of lead in their blood. Lead exposure can happen through water, soil, paint... it can be pervasive and can have long-lasting medical and developmental implications for our children.
Although we're *still* pushing for concrete financial support for Flint from the U.S. Congress, there's some hope. New efforts on Capitol Hill propose significant steps to improve infrastructure, require testing and reporting, assist those affected by lead poisoning, and make ALL our schools and homes safe for kids and families. Please join us in demanding swift action around lead. Share the news:
- Shareable language on the blog (feel free to copy / use).
- Share the image on the right ->
- Tweet: 500k kids in the US ages 1-5 have unsafe levels lead in blood. Speak out-> http://ctt.ec/8fxOk+ #GoodFoodForce @MomsRising
- Tweet: 10% of schools and day care centers required to test for lead. We must do better: http://ctt.ec/k90cT+ #GoodFoodForce @MomsRising
Menu Labeling Victory!
Great news! Restaurants, supermarkets, coffee shops and other similar establishments will soon be required to display calorie counts on menus and menu boards.
Eighty percent of Americans support menu labeling in chain restaurants, and thousands of YOU spoke out in support of it too. Thank you! This is a big deal for families, which eat out almost twice as often as they did in the 1970s. Kids consume about 1/4 of their daily calories at fast-food and other restaurants. "Menu labels don’t just advise us of the number of calories in our food, it can also help establish smarter eating habits overall," the American Heart Association notes. Share the news:
- Shareable language on the blog (feel free to copy / use)
- Share the image on the right ->
- Tweet: Kids eat 1/4 daily calories at restaurants. Menu labeling rule = victory for healthy families! http://ctt.ec/Af8ub+ #GoodFoodForce
- Tweet: Eighty percent of Americans support menu labeling in chain restaurants. I do too! http://ctt.ec/sTqob+ #GoodFoodForce @MomsRising
2. TIPS AND RESOURCES
Is the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program About to Get Sliced and Diced? by Bettina Siegel on Civil Eats.- Physical education programs are being cut from schools due to competing priorities. And unfortunately, this not only hurts kids' health, but it hinders their ability to learn as well. Join the Voices for Healthy Kids Thunderclap to speak out for #ProtectPE!
- In the US, 1 in 13 children has a food allergy, which is about 2 in every classroom. Check out this new resource on kids and allergies from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
- Free webinar: More Loophole than Law: Federal Oversight of Food Ingredient Safety (GRAS). Monday 5/16, 1-2pm ET. Register here.
- Fact Sheet: Changes to the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program Can Improve Children’s Health, by Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project.
- Looking for a new resource to spread the word about unhealthy food and beverage marketing to kids in your school or community? Check out these presentations from the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.
- Time is running out to register for the 8th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference, coming to Madison, Wis., June 2-4. Register today.
3. CONNECT
Join us on TODAY at 1pm ET for this week's #FoodFri tweet chat to talk about SUGAR, with special guest @TheFoodStand. And tune in for next week's chat on Faith and Food, with guest @JoshuaDubois.
This week on the GFF Facebook Group: we're talking about how/why it's so hard to define the perfect diet, favorite healthy eating/exercising/healthful living books for kids, the White House United State of Women Summit, and more. Join us!
4. EAT
Veggie Highlight: Hakurei Turnips and Watermelon Radishes, by GFF Blogger Amy
There were a couple other new (for me anyway) discoveries in my CSA delivery. I couldn't believe I had never had either before! They were so delicious, I've already ordered seeds from Amazon and got them planted in my garden so I can enjoy more!
The first is the Hakurei turnip. This lovely white small turnip is a salad turnip - no cooking required! Love that. There's also a similar variety you may see called the Toyko Cross turnip… Hakurei turnips have a sweet, mild flavor without the spicy or bitter flavor of traditional turnips (translation: kid friendly!). For prep, you just wash them and cut off the greens before eating - no need to peel... Read more from Amy on her blog!
5. SPOTLIGHT
How Water Became our Son's Favorite Drink, by GFF Blogger Diana
"Today, my son is five years old and I love seeing that he goes to the fridge and fills up his own cup of water. Sometimes when asked when visiting friends, he prefers water to juice which I am thrilled about. When I see him making these decisions, I know that it is partly because to him, water is a part of his every day life. It's what he has been given since he was a baby, it is what he prefers. It also helps, of course, that we drink water around him, and that sweetened beverages are not found in our home." Well done, Diana! Read Diana's full post on Today.com.
6. GET OUR NEW BUMPER STICKER!
You brainstormed. You voted. You chose the next MomsRising bumper sticker - here's what it says:
“VOTE! Why? Because Moms Said So!”
In honor of Mother’s Day, let’s show our strength by getting this sticker EVERYWHERE, starting with you! All donors get one of our new bumper stickers. Click here to claim yours!
- Karen and the rest of the MomsRising Food Team!
Good Food Force (GFF) Volunteers are real-life superheroes who take action in their schools and communities, and/or on their blogs and online networks, to get the word out about healthy school foods, junk food marketing to kids, and strategies that are working to reduce childhood obesity. Together with MomsRising.org staff, they help advocate for healthier kids and families. Help spread the word! Contact us: karen@momsrising.org
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