Media Advisory: Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary Thornton to Host Virtual Office Hours to Discuss How USDA is Making the School Day Healthier for America’s Students

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Media Advisory No. 5175.12

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Media Advisory: Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary Thornton to Host Virtual Office Hours to Discuss How USDA is Making the School Day Healthier for America’s Students

 

WASHINGTON, August 28, 2012 – TOMORROW at 1 pm EDT, Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Janey Thornton will host a live Twitter chat focusing on the new nutrition standards for school meals to kick off USDA’s “The School Day Just Got Healthier” back to school campaign.

 

Ask the Deputy Under Secretary about USDA’s school meals programs and its work to make the school day healthier. She played a key role in bringing these changes to fruition and this is a great opportunity to touch base with a national leader in school meal services. The new standards, established under the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, ensure students are offered both fruits and vegetables every day of the week; substantially increase offerings of whole grain-rich foods and low-fat or fat-free milk; limit calories based on the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size; and focus on reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fat and sodium.

 

Submit your “The School Day Just Got Healthier” related questions in advance to the @USDA Twitter account using the hashtags #AskUSDA and #SchoolFoodsRule.

 

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

1 p.m. EDT

 

WHAT:          USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Thornton will answer questions about the new nutrition standards for school meals.

 

WHERE:       Tune in online by following the @USDA Twitter account. Use hashtags #askUSDA and #SchoolFoodsRule to submit questions in advance and during the live Twitter chat.

 

USDA Virtual Office Hours, a monthly live question and answer series allows stakeholders to directly engage with USDA leadership and subject matter experts-through Twitter. Sessions will be focused on a specific mission, issue or program, as aligned with the Department’s strategic goals and based on stakeholder interests.

 

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