New York State’s Governor Elliot Spitzer has introduced legislation calling for healthier school lunches, but it’s facing strong opposition from some legislators, school administrators, and food service companies with school contracts. Amie Hamlin is the Executive Director of the New York Coalition for Healthy School Food and she's responded on behalf of kids with a superb Op-ed piece in the Buffalo News. Here’s an excerpt,

Detractors say Spitzer’s bill lacks a real-life understanding of what children will eat. We say the detractors lack a real-life understanding of the health crisis facing our children. One child out of three born in 2000 will develop Type 2 diabetes sometime in his or her life. (Among African-Americans and Hispanics, the percentage is higher still, between 40% and 53%.) Stop and think about what this means. Blindness. Kidney dialysis. Amputations. Heart disease. Lifetimes of lost potential. Half of children between the ages of 2 and 15 already have fatty streaks in their arteries — literally the beginning stages of heart disease. Cancer rates will climb as well, and 35% of cancer deaths are diet-related.

If you'd like to read all of Amie's piece from the Buffalo News go to: Junk diet condemns students to serious health risks

To learn more about the Coalition's efforts to get healthier food for kids go to: New York Coalition for Healthy School Food