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September is National Childhood Obesity Month（全国儿童肥胖月）， a major topic for the U.S. Department of Agriculture （USDA）（美国农业部）. The agency’s program Healthier US School Challenge： Smarter Lunchrooms （HUSSC： SL） fights against childhood obesity by helping more students across the country gain access to fresh， healthy foods. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack says the USDA especially centers on children living in food unsafe homes， or families that can’t afford to provide enough food for all members of the family every day.
“Unfortunately， many students don’t get enough nutrition because of family situations，” Vilsack told TFK. “Seventeen million children in school today are living in food unsafe homes.”
According to the Food Research and Action Center， low-income neighborhoods typically lack access to full-service stores and farmers’ markets where a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables are sold. Additionally， fresh foods tend to be more expensive. Low-income families may buy cheaper food products， which tend to be less healthy. Without steady access to nutritious food， kids can develop health issues.
“Youngsters can get chronic diseases（慢性病） such as diabetes（糖尿病） or heart issues，” Vilsack says. He adds that these conditions can make kids less productive， and increase health-care costs for their parents.
Making better school meals
Millions of children in the U.S. depend on meals provided by their schools. In 2012， the most recent year， more than 31 million children ate school lunches， and 12.5 million ate school breakfasts. HUSSC：SL plans to make the most out of school meals. It recognizes schools that have enrolled in Team Nutrition， a USDA program that helps schools prepare healthy meals and spread nutrition and physical education.
There are three levels of Team Nutrition recognition： bronze， silver and gold. For each level， schools must complete the Smarter Lunchrooms Self-Assessment Scorecard（自我评估记分卡）. This checklist asks schools to consider everything from access to low-fat white milk to how their lunch menus are designed. To qualify for bronze， schools must offer at least 30 items on the checklist. Silver applicants must offer 50 items， while the highest level， gold， must offer 70. Schools that achieve each standard may receive USDA grants and are added to a list of winners on Team Nutrition’s website.
Vilsack says that before he became USDA Secretary in 2009， only 100 schools qualified for Team Nutrition recognition. Since then， many schools have made changes to their menus and education programs. Now more than 6，000 schools nationwide have earned recognition.
The USDA is not alone.“First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign has also helped，” Vilsack says. “They’ve worked together with the Healthier U.S. Schools Challenge to spread the message.”
Vocabulary
access n. 使用权
nutrition n. 营养（同根形容词是nutritious）
enroll v. 注册
bronze n. 铜
qualify for v. 合格
grants n. 补助金
（Have you eaten school lunches？ Are they healthy enough？ ）
“Unfortunately， many students don’t get enough nutrition because of family situations，” Vilsack told TFK. “Seventeen million children in school today are living in food unsafe homes.”
According to the Food Research and Action Center， low-income neighborhoods typically lack access to full-service stores and farmers’ markets where a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables are sold. Additionally， fresh foods tend to be more expensive. Low-income families may buy cheaper food products， which tend to be less healthy. Without steady access to nutritious food， kids can develop health issues.
“Youngsters can get chronic diseases（慢性病） such as diabetes（糖尿病） or heart issues，” Vilsack says. He adds that these conditions can make kids less productive， and increase health-care costs for their parents.
Making better school meals
Millions of children in the U.S. depend on meals provided by their schools. In 2012， the most recent year， more than 31 million children ate school lunches， and 12.5 million ate school breakfasts. HUSSC：SL plans to make the most out of school meals. It recognizes schools that have enrolled in Team Nutrition， a USDA program that helps schools prepare healthy meals and spread nutrition and physical education.
There are three levels of Team Nutrition recognition： bronze， silver and gold. For each level， schools must complete the Smarter Lunchrooms Self-Assessment Scorecard（自我评估记分卡）. This checklist asks schools to consider everything from access to low-fat white milk to how their lunch menus are designed. To qualify for bronze， schools must offer at least 30 items on the checklist. Silver applicants must offer 50 items， while the highest level， gold， must offer 70. Schools that achieve each standard may receive USDA grants and are added to a list of winners on Team Nutrition’s website.
Vilsack says that before he became USDA Secretary in 2009， only 100 schools qualified for Team Nutrition recognition. Since then， many schools have made changes to their menus and education programs. Now more than 6，000 schools nationwide have earned recognition.
The USDA is not alone.“First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign has also helped，” Vilsack says. “They’ve worked together with the Healthier U.S. Schools Challenge to spread the message.”
Vocabulary
access n. 使用权
nutrition n. 营养（同根形容词是nutritious）
enroll v. 注册
bronze n. 铜
qualify for v. 合格
grants n. 补助金
（Have you eaten school lunches？ Are they healthy enough？ ）