Press Release Details

Gasol Foundation USA Supports California Healthy Meals for Kids Legislation

02/16/2023

California Bill to Improve Student Health and Education Outcomes by Limiting Added Sugar and Sodium in School Meals

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / February 16, 2023 / As a partner in the Voices for Healthy Kids Coalition, Gasol Foundation USA is proud to join our public health colleagues in supporting California State Senator Nancy Skinner's (D-Berkeley) SB 348, Healthy Meals for Kids, which would set guidelines for the amount of sugar and sodium added to school meals in all California K-12 schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program.

"SB 348 will ensure that California's school meals are nutritious and that California is a leader in the fight against childhood diabetes and other medical conditions," said Senator Skinner. "Our schools should not put children at risk with unhealthy meals that have too much sugar and sodium."

Why is this important? According to health professionals, children who consume less than 25 grams of added sugar per day are more likely to experience better health outcomes-and children consume most of their daily calories through school meals during the week.

Gasol Foundation USA has multiple partnerships and collaborations that parallel their mission supporting children's wellness. In September 2022, the Gasol Foundation USA was invited to the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, and made a commitment to policies that improve nutrition and physical activity for health. Gasol Foundation USA is also a member of Voices for Healthy Kids, a national partnership led by the American Heart Association to advocate for equitable policies that increase children's access to healthy food, beverages, and other resources.

"As Gasol Foundation USA continues to expand our impact on children's wellness by teaching proven healthy habits, we collaborate to improve health outcomes and in the fight against the obesity epidemic." said Gasol Foundation USA Executive Director Hector De La Torre. "We support this bill because it is a crucial step in ensuring that every California student has access to more nutritious freshly-prepared meals."

In addition to the sugar and sodium standards, SB 348 builds on the guarantee of a free, nutritious breakfast and lunch each school day in the School Meals for All program; augments locally sourced California ingredients for school meals; and requires more time for students to eat those meals at school. Gasol Foundation USA will provide regular updates as SB 348 makes its way through the legislative process. The public can join the Gasol Foundation USA Advocates list here.

About Gasol Foundation USA

Gasol Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2013 by NBA Champion brothers and All-Stars, Pau and Marc Gasol. Gasol Foundation empowers children and their families to develop healthy habits in physical activity, diet, proper sleep, and emotional well-being. Gasol Foundation USA focuses on research, data-driven programming, and advocacy in support of healthier children and to combat childhood obesity.

https://www.gasolfoundation.org/

Contact:

Gasol Foundation USA
Hector De La Torre
US Executive Director
hdelatorre@gasolfoundation.org

SOURCE: Gasol Foundation USA



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