For Immediate Release
Contact: Tara Kennon, 312-419-1810
tara@healthyschoolscampaign.org

Healthy Schools Campaign Joins International Forum
on Childhood Obesity and School Food
Dialogue is part of pioneering new school food systems that support children's health

Chicago, April 20, 2007 -- Jean Saunders, Healthy Schools Campaign's director of school wellness, will serve as part of an American delegation to the 2007 International Exchange Forum on Children, Obesity, Food Choice and the Environment in the Loire Valley of France.

The forum runs from April 22 through April 27 and includes presentations, roundtables and panel discussions that allow participants to discuss and explore new ideas in food, food choice and nutrition education. Participants will also tour two school districts.

Saunders will write daily about the forum and her experiences in France and post her entries at HSC's blog. To read her observations, or to sign up for blog delivery via e-mail, visit www.healthyschoolscampaign.org/blog.

Saunders' involvement in the forum is part of HSC's ongoing efforts to reinvent the school food experience to prioritize children's health and readiness to learn.

"This isn't about copying the French," said Saunders. "It's about coming together and recognizing that our current system is not the only option. We need to start working toward the design of a system that will truly support children's health and their ability to learn. This international forum is a step in the direction of that very important change."

In May, Saunders will discuss her findings at two "lunch-and-learn" presentations organized by HSC around international perspectives on childhood obesity and school food. The first is scheduled for May 16 in DuPage; the second will take place May 24 in Chicago. For details, visit www.healthyschoolscampaign.org/events/2007/international_perspectives.php

At HSC, Saunders is organizing a model school food collaborative in which Chicago-area charter schools are pioneering new ways of delivering healthier food to their students. She also works on food education programs that integrate lessons about food systems and nutrition into other academic subjects.

School food is emerging as an important issue for discussion among educators and public health officials alike, as obesity rates for American children have soared to more then 17 percent and research increasingly documents the connections between nutrition, obesity and learning.

Current school food systems in the United States involve barriers to the delivery of fresh, healthy food, often leaving schoolchildren with highly processed lunches that are heavy in calories but low in nutrition. In one recent study, the USDA found that only 20 percent of schools served lunches that met its own mandated standards for fat and saturated fat.

"We put a lot of energy into vitally important but ultimately incremental change to a system that isn't prioritizing our children's health or academic success," said Rochelle Davis, HSC's founding executive director.

"What this type of international dialogue allows us to do is step back and think about the big, real changes we can make to the whole system," Davis added. "We know about the connection between health and learning. Now it's time for us to design a school food system that supports both."

To arrange an interview with Jean Saunders, please contact Tara Kennon at 312.419.1810. More information about the forum can be found at www.fieldtoplate.com/france_spring_07.php.

###

The Healthy Schools Campaign, an independent not-for-profit organization, is the leading authority on healthy school environments and a voice for people who care about our environment, our children and education. Our mission is to advocate for policies and model programs that allow students and staff members to learn and work in a healthy school environment.