Greetings! This week we're talking about funding for food and nutrition programs in President Obama's FY2016 budget, sharing tips on healthy Valentine's Day celebrations, and announcing our new Good Food Force Facebook Group! Please read and share. Thank you! 

 

President Obama’s budget proposal for FY2016, released earlier this week, will cost $3.99 trillion (beginning October 1st). The President’s budget carries no legislative weight—in order for our government to actually be funded Congress needs to pass their own budget and the President needs to sign it. But Presidents traditionally create a budget to start the process, make their own recommendations, and help guide the way Congress will go (to the best of his ability!). Highlights around food / nutrition:

Read more about the budget from  MomsRising.org's Elyssa Koidin Schmier on our blog! 

 

Join us at 1pm EST to discuss the bill, which would tie toys and other incentives that come with kids’ meals to minimum nutrition standards. This is HUGE in the healthy child food movement! You don't want to miss it! Follow #FoodFri, @MomsRising and @BenKallos to participate. 

 

A big high-five to everyone who particated in the month-long Good Food Force healthy challenge on Facebook! Co-hosts and participants shared 85 posts during the event, engaging more than 5000 people! It was also just great to get to know many of you better. The fun continues on the new Good Food Force Facebook Group! This is a place for folks who care about healthy kids, schools and communities to share ideas and resources. Feel free to ask questions, share resources and initiate conversations about healthy foods. Join us!

 

Together, we told Burger King and Wendy's that it’s time to get sugary drinks off kids’ menus, and WENDY'S LISTENED! Wendy’s will no longer offer soda in kids' meals. Now it's Burger King's turn! Join us in telling Burger King that with rising rates of children in the U.S. developing serious nutrition-related diseases, it’s time to get sugary drinks off kids’ menus. 

 

From our friends at U.S. PIRG. Right now, up to 70 percent of the antibiotics sold in the United States are sold for use on animal farms. Most of the animals receiving these daily doses aren’t sick, but are given the drugs to promote growth and prevent the diseases common to factory farming operations. Antibiotic-resistant superbugs are often the result of this overuse. The best way to put a stop to this misuse of antibiotics is to buy meat raised without the routine use of antibiotics. Labels can be tricky, but “raised without antibiotics” and/or “organic” will ensure that this meat never got the regular, daily doses typical of most farms. Check out more tips on the blog.  

 

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite hol­i­days, and not because of choco­late, roses and roman­tic din­ners (let’s face it, I have three young kids…so not hap­pen­ing!). I’m actu­ally in love with the food! Pink, red and heart shapes lend them­selves to fab­u­lously fun and healthy treats for school par­ties (as well as break­fasts, lunch­boxes, snacks and din­ners, of course). To help with your school cel­e­bra­tion plan­ning, I put together this round-up of 4 theme par­ties that will both nour­ish and excite the kids: Love Potion Smoothie Party; “I’m Bananas for You” Banana Split Party; Sweet­heart Party; Nat­u­rally Red Party. Check out full party ideas on the blog! 

 

 

Thank you for all you do!

- Karen, Migdalia, Monifa, Donna, Dream and the rest of the MomsRising.org Food Team!