A USDA evaluation showed significant evidence that the program has improved children’s attitudes about and consumption of fruits and vegetables inside and outside of school, and also concluded that participating schools provided substantially more nutrition education to its students than other schools. Furthermore, a study published in Applied Economics Perspectives and Policy in 2015 found that the FFVP program reduced student obesity rates from an average of 20 percent to 17 percent.
Now, the House Education and Workforce Committee’s draft of the Child Nutrition Authorization (CNR) bill would allow schools participating in the program to serve all forms of produce—rather than strictly fresh—welcoming in frozen, canned, and dehydrated fruits and vegetables as well as others. The draft explicitly states, “funds under this program may be used on all forms of fruits and vegetables and is no longer limited to only fresh fruits and vegetables.”
It’s unclear now whether or not the draft bill that would alter the FFVP will make it out of the committee, let alone pass through Congress. If it were to be passed, the vague wording would also need some clarification as to how it would be applied to participating schools. Time will tell if the packaged food lobbyists will succeed in eliminating the fresh requirement. In the meantime, students nationwide will continue to benefit from the fresh produce and nutrition information provided by the program.
