SENATE MEMORIAL 54

48th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2008

INTRODUCED BY

Pete Campos

A MEMORIAL

REGARDING THE ENHANCEMENT OF SCHOOL CHILDREN'S NUTRITION AND NEW MEXICO'S FARMING ECONOMY.

     WHEREAS, school nutrition programs provided through the national school lunch program and national school breakfast program have provided millions of healthy and nutritious meals to children across New Mexico for more than sixty years; and

     WHEREAS, school nutrition programs play an important role in helping to ensure that every student in New Mexico starts school ready to learn, because a hungry or undernourished child is less likely to be an eager and attentive student; and

     WHEREAS, school nutrition programs have demonstrated a commitment in New Mexico to promote children's health, well-being and educational excellence, primary goals of student success; and

     WHEREAS, in New Mexico, two hundred three public, private and bureau of Indian affairs schools serve over two hundred twelve thousand children who participate in the free or reduced-price school meal programs, constituting two-thirds of the total school population; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico is ranked number one in the country in the number of students participating in school breakfast programs; and

     WHEREAS, the threat to the future health of New Mexico's children has never been greater because, as in the case of children across America, the percentage of New Mexico's children who are obese or overweight (twenty-four percent of the state's high school students) is growing; and

     WHEREAS, if New Mexico does not reverse these risks by improving its young people's diets, the state is in danger of raising the first generation of American children with a lower life expectancy than their parents; and

     WHEREAS, obesity and diet-related diseases cost New Mexicans three hundred twenty-four million dollars ($324,000,000) annually; and

     WHEREAS, healthy eating habits are formed during childhood and decrease the risk of chronic diseases; and

     WHEREAS, in 2007, the New Mexico department of agriculture, in conjunction with farm to table, a New Mexico nonprofit entity, published the New Mexico farm to school directory, which lists more than one hundred New Mexico farmers who are ready, able and willing to supply nutritious and locally grown foods and crops to the school districts of New Mexico;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that it be committed to turn back the rising tide of poor diet by having additional fresh fruits and vegetables served in school meals to every New Mexico student and to strengthening our farming communities and increasing farmers' incomes by purchasing fruits and vegetables, when available, from New Mexico farmers; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it request that the school districts and their respective boards of education and superintendents place great emphasis on, and make a high priority as a matter of educational policy for, the purchase of locally grown foods in their school food programs for the benefit of their students; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it encourage the food service directors of New Mexico school districts to search out in their various locales, with the assistance of the New Mexico department of agriculture and farm to table, local farmers who want to supply locally grown foods for school food programs; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it encourage the sending of copies of the New Mexico farm to school directory to all school food service directors; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to all New Mexico school districts.

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