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Participant Media's Social Action Campaign for Food, Inc. Sends Healthy School Food Brigade to Capitol Hill

Posted on: Thursday, 25 June 2009, 14:33 CDT

130 Parents and Kids From Across the U.S. Lobby for Passage of the Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act

LOS ANGELES, June 25 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of Participant Media's social action campaign for the acclaimed new documentary, Food, Inc., parents and children from nearly 30 states proclaiming themselves the Healthy School Food Brigade converged on Capitol Hill Wednesday to urge passage of legislation that would update 30 year old school food nutrition standards. The Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act would get junk food out of our nation's schools and help assure that our children have healthy food choices.

Among the 130 citizens who traveled to Washington for a White House briefing, press conference and meetings with 120 members of Congress were actresses Deidre Hall (Days of Our Lives) and Andrea Bowen (Desperate Housewives), Natalie Rogers, representing the Georgia Parent Teacher Association, and food safety activist Barbara Kowalcyk, who appears in the film. John Schreiber, Participant's EVP of Social Action & Advocacy welcomed the group and presented a petition to the White House signed by more than 50,000 Americans calling for improved school nutrition.

Schreiber said, "This was a very exciting and productive day for everyone involved. Thanks to the efforts of the Healthy School Food Brigade, we were able to send a very clear message to our nation's policymakers that Americans from across the country care about the kinds of food we want served to our kids in their schools." Schreiber continued, "By leveraging the current success of Food, Inc., we were able to raise the visibility of the important work our NGO partners are doing to protect the future health of America's children."

Elected officials who attended the press conference included the bill's sponsors, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-California), and co-sponsors, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) and Rep. Rosa DiLauro (D-Connecticut). Among those meeting with the Brigade were Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid, Tina Tchen, Director of Office of Public Engagement, Jocelyn Frye, Policy Director, Office of the First Lady and David Lazarus, Senior Advisor, Secretary of Agriculture.

The Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act is supported by the National Parent Teacher Association and 88 other groups.

Food, Inc. is playing in selected cities in the U.S. and Canada.

www.takepart.com/foodinc

SOURCE Participant Media

Source: PR Newswire

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