Strengthening the Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project to ensure improved nutrition in schools

This grant supports the Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project (KSHF) to continue informing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and working with advocates to ensure proper implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (the Act). KSHF's first two years helped catalyze momentum to influence USDA and Congress to provide leadership on sound policies for school foods. However, much remains to be done to ensure that the Act is properly implemented at the state and local levels. The goals of this grant project are to: (1) ensure that USDA finalizes scientifically sound national nutrition standards for competitive foods in schools; (2) protect recently finalized guidelines for school meals as they are implemented at the state and local levels; and (3) begin to lay the groundwork for state and local implementation. Deliverables will include a study evaluating states' current infrastructure and capacity for building support for the implementation of the Act's nutrition standards; a first-ever national survey of schools' current staff and training capacities and the need to upgrade kitchens and kitchen equipment; and a comprehensive state and local implementation plan and time line. The Pew Charitable Trusts will not use Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) funds for lobbying.

Grant Details

Amount Awarded $1,992,235.00

Awarded on: 8/20/2012

Time frame: 8/15/2012 - 8/14/2014

Grant Number: 70193