The school year is over, but there are still activities on campuses wherein volunteers, students, and others are engaged in the noble practice of growing their own food. Earlier this week, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack visited a school in southeast Washington, DC to help “create and unveil an edible "Good Food Garden" that will bring healthy, fresh and nutritious food to children from underserved communities in the nation's capital.” Meanwhile, a Baltimore, MD newspaper article described burgeoning efforts to grow and supply healthy fruits and vegetables to school children in that city and beyond.

More and more people are coming to realize the profound consequences of our unhealthy food system. The way we eat contributes to some of the most pressing health problems in our country including heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity. Sadly, our federal school lunch and nutrition programs have served to exacerbate these problems at tax payer expense, and they are in desperate need of reform. Children should be encouraged to consume fruits, vegetables and other healthful plant foods, rather than animal products, and as the child nutrition act is addressed in Washington, DC over the coming year, we need to be in touch with our elected representatives and senators and make our concerns known. You can take action on this important issue here.