The following post was written by Barry Sackin of Sackin & Associates. 

What is Child Nutrition Reauthorization?

This June will mark the 70^th anniversary of the National School Lunch Act (NSLA), now named after Sen. Richard B. Russell from Georgia who is considered to be the father of the legislation.  When it was first enacted, the NSLA was what is called a “grant-in-aid” for states to develop and support school lunch programs.  Over the years, this approach has been replaced by the program we know today.  The way it has made the changes is through regular reauthorizations, or legislation that amends the law.  There have been almost two dozen reauthorizations over the past 70 years, as well as changes enacted in legislation between the regular schedule.

This year beautiful San Diego, CA will be host to the 2016 School Nutrition Industry Conference (SNIC), January 16-19, 2016.  Each year hundreds of school nutrition professionals and their industry partners gather together at SNIC (formerly CNIC) to network and collaborate.  With the business of school nutrition and the children they serve as the primary focus, attendees take this opportunity to look to the future.    

I was very excited when asked to join some fellow Heartlanders and attend the School Nutrition Association’s Legislative Action Conference (SNA-LAC). LAC is an annual event held in Washington, DC and took place this year March 1-4, 2015. As this would be my inaugural LAC, I welcomed the opportunity to experience this event first-hand.

Since its passing in 2010, the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA) has brought the hot-button issue of childhood obesity and school nutrition to center stage.  For better or worse, this act has changed the entire industry from the way manufacturers formulate their food items for schools to the specific recipes that are placed on cafeteria menus.  Even news outlets, celebrity chefs and parents have joined the discussion.