On January 25th, First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack released the new nutrition standards for school meals.  

In New York State, nearly 1.6 million students eat school lunch and nearly a half million students eat school breakfast everyday.  Since a majority of students eating school meals are low-income, the new standards will provide essential nutrition for better health, reduced food insecurity, and risk of obesity in kids eating school meals.   

Find the USDA's final rule, implementation timeline, and more information on our website.   

Want to know more?  Register for a free webinar co-hosted by the USDA and Food Research and Action Center.  Webinar date is Thursday, February 2nd at 1:00 pm.   

The USDA is hosting a series of free webinars about the Summer Food Service Program.  Register today for notifications regarding the dates and topics.   

To learn more about the SFSP, please visit our website for new tools and resources including:

• 2011 sponsor directory,  
• Tips for recruiting and becoming a volunteer at meal sites,
• Additional factsheets, and   
• Link to school areas eligible to be open sites for 2012.    

During the January 4th State of the State, Governor Cuomo made a commitment to expanding participation in the Food Stamp Program and stated that child hunger is unacceptable in our state.  Read more on our blog,  watch the Address here  (comments at the 48:20 mark), and read our press release.    

On January 14th, Governor Cuomo released his FY 2012-2013 state budget proposal, following through on this commitment by increasing the state's investment in food stamp outreach.  Read more on our blog.  

Programs related to hunger were held harmless from budget cuts, including nutrition assistance programs for seniors, child nutrition programs, and emergency food programs.  Stay tuned for continued budget updates and implications for nutrition assistance programs!