The law is reauthorized every five years. 2015 is the year that congress must go back and decide the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 should be reauthorized. Many are debating that the program was not very successful because it caused school districts to accumulate debt, fewer kids bought school lunches and food waste increased. A school district in New Jersey got attention for having a policy where students who couldn’t pay for their lunch had to throw out their whole lunch in the garbage. As well, students may not find the food appealing and decide not to eat it. In a nutshell, it is whether the program should be less strict in its “healthiness” so that students can warm up to the changes and school districts can figure out effective ways to work with their budgets. When it comes to whether this policy was effective, there are mixed outcomes depending on what part of the program is being evaluated. A study done by the School Nutrition Association of four elementary schools in Washington, grades fourth through sixth grade, found that there were some important improvements before and after the implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 in these schools. They found that there was a reduction of sodium, percentage of calories, and saturated fat and an increase in fiber. However, they found a decrease in calcium, which could be negative in the children 's diets. Many other reports state that the policy has increased spending for schools, causing some to go into debt. Other sources state that the number of students that used to be enrolled in the school lunch program has dropped. Overall the policy was effective in providing and offering these healthy foods at school, but not so much in having students consume the healthy food. The policy’s other goals still face
The law is reauthorized every five years. 2015 is the year that congress must go back and decide the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 should be reauthorized. Many are debating that the program was not very successful because it caused school districts to accumulate debt, fewer kids bought school lunches and food waste increased. A school district in New Jersey got attention for having a policy where students who couldn’t pay for their lunch had to throw out their whole lunch in the garbage. As well, students may not find the food appealing and decide not to eat it. In a nutshell, it is whether the program should be less strict in its “healthiness” so that students can warm up to the changes and school districts can figure out effective ways to work with their budgets. When it comes to whether this policy was effective, there are mixed outcomes depending on what part of the program is being evaluated. A study done by the School Nutrition Association of four elementary schools in Washington, grades fourth through sixth grade, found that there were some important improvements before and after the implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 in these schools. They found that there was a reduction of sodium, percentage of calories, and saturated fat and an increase in fiber. However, they found a decrease in calcium, which could be negative in the children 's diets. Many other reports state that the policy has increased spending for schools, causing some to go into debt. Other sources state that the number of students that used to be enrolled in the school lunch program has dropped. Overall the policy was effective in providing and offering these healthy foods at school, but not so much in having students consume the healthy food. The policy’s other goals still face