Invest in Kids’ Health with Plant-Based School Food

The group wrote a letter in support of AB 479, a California bill introduced by Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian (D-Van Nuys), which would incentivize schools that add plant-based entreés and plant milks to their menus. The bill recently passed through the California Assembly Education Committee with a 5-0 vote, and it’s now in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, where committee members are weighing the costs of the bill.

The letter makes it clear that giving students greater access to healthy school meals would have long-term financial benefits. In fact, chronic diseases related to diet and lifestyle now account for 7 in 10 U.S. deaths and a majority of our $3.5 trillion health care budget. A recent report from Oxford estimates that global meat consumption will result in $285 billion in health care costs and 2.4 million deaths. Another report finds that if current health trends related to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease continue, today’s generation of children will be the first to live shorter lives than their parents.

It’s time to invest in the health of our children. AB 479 can help do that. Read the full letter to the Assembly Appropriations Committee:

Dear Chairs Ting, Mitchell, McCarty, and Roth, 

We, the undersigned public health, medical, and nutrition organizations and experts, strongly support AB 479 and support Assemblymember Nazarian’s budget ask of $4.7 million to the Department of Education to incentivize healthy, climate-friendly meals in California’s public schools, as envisioned by AB 479. By investing in the health of California’s children today, this bill can help save lives and dramatically reduce future health care costs.

Eating unhealthful food is not only costly to our individual health, but it also places undue burden on our statewide and federal health care systems. In fact, chronic diseases related to our diet and lifestyle now account for 7 in 10 U.S. deaths. Ninety percent of our annual $3.5 trillion health care expenses are for people with at least one chronic health condition. High meat consumption, especially red and processed meat, has been linked to many of our deadliest—and most costly—diseases, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and certain forms of cancer.

There is an overwhelming public health consensus on the need to reduce consumption of processed and red meat in favor of more plant-based foods. In fact, the U.S. government’s 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that teenage boys and men reduce their meat consumption. It also found that vegetarian and low-meat Mediterranean diets are “associated with reduced risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer.”

Researchers from the University of Oxford estimate that in 2020, current global meat consumption rates will result in a staggering $285 billion in health care costs and 2.4 million deaths and that even modest reductions in meat consumption could help prevent 220,000 deaths and decrease health care costs by $41 billion. Providing incentives to encourage plant-based diets could produce even bigger benefits. A recent Tufts University study showed that we can generate better health outcomes and enormous savings by subsidizing healthy, plant-based foods.

Unfortunately, projections show that if we fail to shift our dietary patterns, chronic disease rates and health care spending will continue to soar. In fact, today’s generation of children is the first expected to live shorter lives than their parents. A key problem is that children’s diets are lacking in the most protective foods. According to the CDC, just 1 in 10 U.S. children eat enough vegetables. In California, 70 percent of adolescents fall short on fruits and vegetables. The CDC cites evidence showing that students whose diets lack important nutrients, including those found in nutrient-dense, plant-based meals, have “lower grades and higher rates of absenteeism and tardiness.” Inadequate nutrient intake and the resulting decrease in academic achievement create a lasting burden on the vitality of communities at large.

We urgently ask for your support of AB 479 to incentivize greater consumption of plant-based foods. By investing an estimated $5 million to fund plant-based meals in schools, test recipes, and train staff to prepare healthy food, we will improve kids’ health, save millions of health care dollars in the long run, and promote the future health of our state.

Sincerely,

Organizations

Center for Climate Change and Health, Linda Rudolph, Director

Center for Nutrition Studies, Sarah Johnson, Director of Content & Digital Marketing

Howard Memorial Hospital, Jason Wells, President

Robin Withrow-Wong, M.S., CEO of VegHead Speaks

Top Performance Consulting, Anna Weltman, Coach

UDW/AFSCME Local 3930, Kristina Bas Hamilton, Legislative Director

Alisa Daskarolis, President, EndoHealing Family Foods

Arnold Gorske, CEO and Editor at HEPFDC

Christine Bou Sleiman, R.D. and Owner, HealthySelfie, LLC

Neal Barnard, M.D., President, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Individuals

Alexandra Mark, R.D.

Andrew Klonecke, Physician

Anitha Kankar, M.D.

Anna Herby, R.D., C.D.E.

Beth Dameral, R.N.

Bob Rosenburg, Board Chair, OnePercent for Education

Bruce Block, M.D., Pediatrician, Palo Alto Medical Foundation         

Casey Schirmer, M.D., PAMF Pediatrics

Charlea Massion, M.D., Family Physician, Dominican Hospital, Santa Cruz, CA

Cherie Leonard, Educator, CoachMaster Seminars

Cheryl Hoffman, M.D., Medical Director, UCLA 

Christine Bou Sleiman, R.D., and Owner, HealthySelfie, LLC

Christine Rada, Family Nurse Practitioner

Christine Varner, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N., Occupational Health Nurse, Capitol Health Services

Christy Dunn, Registered Nurse, UC Davis Medical Center

Cindy Pu, R.N.

Courtney Barry, Family Nurse Practitioner

Cristina Macedo, M.S.W., Women and Infants MHU Coordinator

Dana Armstrong, R.D.

Dani Wenger, Student, UCLA

Daniel Marcus, M.D., Physician, Palo Alto Medical Foundation

David Hjerpe, Physician

Debra Shapiro, M.D., Staff Physician, Genentech Health Center and Private Health Coach, Premise Health

Donnita Talavera, Chief Patient Advocate

Dr. Joseph Crabtree, Psychiatrist

Dr. Judy Bertelsen

Dr. Shivarama Bhat

Earl Johnson, President, Progress Management Inc.

Edwin Chun, Doctor of Chiropractic

Elaine Taylor, R.N.

Elian Paiuk, M.D.

Emily Mitchell, R.D.

Eury Ramos, Counselor

Ingrid Lopes, D.O., Associate Professor

Jackie Busse, M.D., Palo Alto Medical Foundation

Jackie Schuck, R.N.

Jacqueline Thompson, R.D., C.D.E., at Healthy Advantage

Jane Williams, M.D.

Jeanne Gallagher, M.D., Pediatrician and Health Care Administrator, Palo Alto Medical Foundation

Jeannie Norton, Registered Nurse, Chico Unified School District and CSU Chico

Jennifer Nemeth, R.N.

Jennifer Vitale, R.N.

Jina Shah, M.D., M.P.H., Family doctor, One Medical

Jody Kass, Executive Director at PlantPure Communities

Johaan Ryberg, Teacher, Soquel Union Elementary School District

John Millington, M.D., at Southern California Wound Healing Center

John Sekerka, R.D.

John Westerdahl, R.D.N.

Kami Anderson, M.D.

Karen Nash, R.N.

Kathleen Kastner, Exercise Physiologist, M.S., at PlantDiego

Kathrin Sidell, M.D., Ph.D., physician, Palo Alto Medical Foundation

Katrice Rivera, R.N.

Kayce Ryberg, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Sutter Health

Kristine McLain, Registered Nurse, Cardiology, Kaiser Permanente

Leigh Mueller Langley, Pediatrician, PAFMG

Ligia Giese, M.D., Kaiser Permanente

Linda Balazsy, Program Manager, Healthcare Compliance

Liz Gary, Plant Based Foods Educator, New Options Food Group

Maria Zepeda, Nurse

Matthew Kesler, Pediatrician, Kaiser Permanente

Matthew Ruscigno, M.P.H., R.D.

Maureen Craig, Clinical Nurse Specialist – Nephrology, UC Davis Medical Center

Meghan Lowery, Director, The Greenbaum Foundation

Michael Blair, Executive Director, Neighborhood Innovation

Michelle Ernaga, R.D., M.P.H., Los Angeles Unified School District

Nancee P., R.D.

Nancy Smith, R.N.

Noemi Vazquez, M.D.

Olga B Howell, R.N., B.S.N., Retired, formerly Cayuga Medical Center

Patricia Simpson, Emergency Physician

Paul Ware, M.D., Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group

Praveena Kumar, R.D.

Rebecca Muradian, R.N.

Renee Rodriguez, Pediatric Cardiologist, Palo Alto Medical Foundation - Sutter Health

Rinaldo Brutoco, CEO, ShangriLa Group

Robert Daroff, M.D., Professor in Psychiatry

Sarah Maufe, M.D., Pediatrician, PAMF

Scott Iwamura, R.D.

Siobhan Gogan, M.D.

Susan Borba, M.D., Pediatrician, Palo Alto Medical Foundation

Sylvie Rockel, project manager

Tammy Renault, M.P.H., Walden University

Tanya Nauenberg, Pediatrician, PAMF

Teresa Ewin, R.N.

Tracy Childs, director of PlantDiego

Wil Wong, Physician, TPMG