RETIRED ADMIRALS AND GENERALS URGE LAWMAKERS NOT TO WEAKEN SUCCESSFUL EFFORT TO ENSURE HEALTHY SCHOOL MEALS

**Media Advisory for June 11, 2014**

On Wednesday, June 11, the U.S. House of Representatives is considering its FY15 Agriculture Appropriations spending bill. As discussions on this issue continue, the 450 retired admirals and generals who are members of Mission: Readiness are urging lawmakers not to delay or weaken the implementation of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act.

Passed in 2010 with bipartisan support, the legislation updated nutrition standards for school meals and for snack foods sold in school vending machines and cafeterias.  As a result, 90 percent of the nation’s schools report they are successfully implementing the school meal standards. This is an important step toward curbing the nation’s obesity epidemic because many children consume half their daily calories in school. This is important to Mission: Readiness members because:

• More than one in five young Americans is too overweight to enlist.

• Being overweight or obese is the leading medical reason why young adults cannot join the military.

“Regardless of political affiliations, we know all lawmakers want our children to be healthy, so we should not walk away from science-based standards for school nutrition when the vast majority of our schools are successfully implementing them. A far better course is to ensure schools that are struggling to implement these standards get more support. Simply put, we cannot have a sound battle plan for the war on obesity if our children are chowing down on unhealthy foods in the places where they spend so much of their time. “

- Major General D. Allen Youngman, who retired in 2003 after more than 34 years of service in the U.S. Army.

To learn more about Mission: Readiness and the impact of obesity on national security, visit www.missionreadiness.org.

MEDIA NOTE: General Youngman is available by phone after 5:00 pm EST on June 11 and during the day on June 12 and June 13 to discuss the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act and the importance of healthy foods at school.  

Contact: Chris Beakey, 202 448-0253, cbeakey@missionreadiness.org

                David Carrier, 202-464-5362, dcarrier@missionreadiness.org

 Mission: Readiness is the nonpartisan national security organization of more than 400 retired generals and admirals calling for smart investments in America’s children.

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