Michelle Obama calls for nutrition bill

First Lady Michelle Obama has called for congress to pass a legislation that could help combat the increasingly worrying issue of childhood obesity in America. The child nutrition bill would mean that $4.5 billion would be invested in tackling childhood obesity issues over the next decade in the states.

Mrs Obama stated her case in a public essay published in the Washington Post on Monday. In the essay she asks congress to pass the legislation that will guarantee an improvement in nutrition at school. The law will do this by regulating food standards in schools such as increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables that are made readily available to children, and regulating vending machines.

Issues

Childhood obesity in America has been labelled as an epidemic. Around 9 million children in the States are affected by weight issues. Earlier this year, research conducted by care organization Kaiser Permanente found that 37% of children are overweight, and over 19% of all kids in America are obese. Though other organizations, such as The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believes that the figure is closer to 15%.

Mrs. Obama has been a leading advocate against childhood obesity. Earlier this year, she attended the launch of the President’s council on Fitness Sports and Nutrition and has also done fantastic work for child healthcare through her ‘let’s move’ campaign.

Prosperity

“We owe it to the children who aren’t reaching their potential because they’re not getting the nutrition they need during the day”, Mrs. Obama wrote. She also believes that the government owes it to parents as well as “to the schools that are trying to make progress but don’t have the resources they need”.

Obesity issues reportedly cost the American government around $150 billion each year in medical costs. The First Lady concluded that our “prosperity depends on the health and vitality of the next generation”.