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Rep. Khan Announces Student Nutrition Legislation Signed Into Law
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Boston, MA – Representative Kay Khan is pleased to announce that her legislation, An Act Relative to Student Nutrition and Wellness, (H. 446) has been incorporated to the final version of An Act Relative to Student Nutrition, (H. 4459), which was signed into law by Governor Patrick today. The key aspects of Rep. Khan’s bill, which were included in the final version, offer opportunities for communities to establish School Wellness Advisory Committees to oversee health and nutrition in schools throughout the Commonwealth. In accordance with federal laws and regulations, this committee will develop and recommend to the superintendent of schools and school committee, a school district wellness policy addressing school nutrition, nutrition education, and physical activity. The final bill – modeled after the recommendations of a 2007 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report – calls for a ban on unhealthy competitive foods and beverages that do not meet scientifically based nutritional standards and are not part of federal meal programs. Other provisions of the bill include: continuing education of school nurses, nutrition and exercise instruction in schools, collection and reporting of obesity trends and the establishment of a farm to school program connecting products from Massachusetts farms with public schools around the Commonwealth. The bill’s provisions will apply to all public elementary schools, middle schools and high schools in the Commonwealth. ### | ||