nutrition. Tested against that, a lunch at noon may very simply be too little, too late for the child who has had food of negligible nutritional value; or, in fact, no food at all since noon the previous day.

OUR COUNTRY'S SCHOOLCHILDREN

We are not talking about Biafra. The importance of an adequate diet for our children is uncontroverted-the impact it has on their attitude, their educational experience, their health and the health of the country-and cannot be disputed. Yet, the program is not progressing; it is not flourishing; it has been suggested that it is floundering. It reaches only 940,000 of our 52 million schoolchildren. And, of the number who do have an opportunity to participate, 520,000 are from poor families. This is likely to be not more than 5 or 6 percent of all the poor children who need this program. It is for this reason that we want to find out how-after Congress mandated a determination of the number of schools desirous of the School Breakfast Program-the Department of Agriculture answers us that of our 100,000 schools only 1,170 desire the School Breakfast Program, and 32 States have no schools at all that desire the School Breakfast Program.

I know we should be tentative when opening a hearing, but that just seems to not add up. When the day is finished-when this record has been made-I hope all of us will more clearly understand the need; more fully understand what has to be done; and, that as a consequence, we will be a step closer to safeguarding the health and well-being of our Nation's children.

PREPARED STATEMENT OF SENATOR PHILIP HART

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for being with us here today. I would like to welcome our witnesses, my very able colleague from New Jersey, Senator Clifford Case, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Lyng, and Ronald Pollack, Suzanne Vaupel and Mark Irvings of the Food Research Action Center.

Our purpose today is to explore the progress and the additional need for School Breakfast Programs across the Nation.

This program was just an idea, an experiment several years ago. In the last few years it has proven itself worthy of being taken out of the "pilot program" category and of being established as the truly vital element in the anti-hunger effort that I think it rightfully is. With our other efforts like the Food Stamp and School Lunch Programs, we have more than halfway constructed a wall against hunger around our Nation. Unfortunately, it be comes more clear every day that as we continue to treat the School Breakfast Program as the stepchild of our nutrition efforts among our children, we continue to leave these children, the poor in particular, defenseless against the pain, the apathy and the ill-health engendered by hunger for half of their day. I do not want to seem to be saying that programs like the School Lunch Program are not doing their job. The Lunch Program certainly is, and I long for the day when all, not just one-half or even two-thirds, of our Nation's poor children receive the daily meal they so desperately need.

But we must look at this realistically: these children deserve adequate nutrition, if not, as I would much prefer, very good nutrition. And, in that light, a lunch at noon may very simply be too little, too late for a child who has had food of negligible nutritional value or, in fact no food at all since noon the previous day.

Today, the importance of an adequate diet to our children is uncontroverted. The impact it has on their attitude, the educational experience, their

health and the health of our nation can hardly be disputed. Yet the program is floundering. It reaches only 940,000 of our Nation's 52 million schoolchil dren. And of the number who do have an opportunity to participate, 520,000 are from poor families. That is likely to be not more than five or six percent of all the poor children who need this program. It is for this reason that I cannot understand how, after receiving a Congressional mandate to determine the number of schools desiring a School Breakfast program, the USDA comes back with an answer that only 1,170 of our 100,000 schools desire the Breakfast Program, and that 32 states have no schools at all that desire programs. On its face, the USDA response raises questions of good faith. I would hope that today's hearing, then, will help to bring us one step closer to truly "safeguarding the health and well-being of our Nation's children."

Thank you.

Senator Bellmon?

Senator BELLMON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, the significance of this morning's hearing on the School Breakfast Program, which was created by the Congress in 1966, could hardly be summed up adequately in an opening statement; or, perhaps, even in the context of supporting statements of testimony we are going to hear today. I would like to express my appreciation to our witnesses and to offer my support to any good ideas that promise to help improve the program.

NO EXCUSE FOR HUNGER

I am a member of this committee because of my membership on the Agriculture Committee, and I feel that the Agriculture Committee is eager to see that this Nation's food distribution system is protected as far as is humanly possible. We are very proud of the fact that American farmers have proven their ability to produce an abundance of nutritious foods at a very low price-in fact, more efficiently than any other farmers on the face of the earth. Each year, our Federal Government spends from $3 to $5 billion to help keep land out of production because farmers are able to produce far more food than they can sell either in this country or for export. To me, it is ridiculous for children in this country to be hungry or poorly nourished in the presence of such abundance. Thus, I am as anxious as anyone to find ways in which we can improve the system; and to make certain our children are not hungry, and that their ability to learn is not impeded by a lack of proper nutrition.

Senator HART. Thank you. The committee is fortunate that we open the hearing by listening to Senator Case of New Jersey.

Over long years, no member of Congress has been more concerned that we do something-more insistent that we do something-than the Senior Senator from New Jersey, and, indeed, he is most wel

come.

STATEMENT OF HON. CLIFFORD P. CASE, A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Senator CASE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman and Senator Bellmon: First of all, may I express my own appreciation for what you said this morning-both of you. You are absolutely right; and, I am grateful, too, for the chance to open up the discussion from this side of the table.

nutrition. Tested against that, a lunch at noon may very simply be too little, too late for the child who has had food of negligible nutritional value; or, in fact, no food at all since noon the previous day.

OUR COUNTRY'S SCHOOLCHILDREN

We are not talking about Biafra. The importance of an adequate diet for our children is uncontroverted-the impact it has on their attitude, their educational experience, their health and the health of the country and cannot be disputed. Yet, the program is not progressing; it is not flourishing; it has been suggested that it is floundering. It reaches only 940,000 of our 52 million schoolchildren. And, of the number who do have an opportunity to participate, 520,000 are from poor families. This is likely to be not more than 5 or 6 percent of all the poor children who need this program. It is for this reason that we want to find out how-after Congress mandated a determination of the number of schools desirous of the School Breakfast Program-the Department of Agriculture answers us that of our 100,000 schools only 1,170 desire the School Breakfast Program, and 32 States have no schools at all that desire the School Breakfast Program.

I know we should be tentative when opening a hearing, but that just seems to not add up. When the day is finished-when this record has been made-I hope all of us will more clearly understand the need; more fully understand what has to be done; and, that as a consequence, we will be a step closer to safeguarding the health and well-being of our Nation's children.

PREPARED STATEMENT OF SENATOR PHILIP HART

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for being with us here today. I would like to welcome our witnesses, my very able colleague from New Jersey, Senator Clifford Case, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Lyng, and Ronald Pollack, Suzanne Vaupel and Mark Irvings of the Food Research Action Center.

Our purpose today is to explore the progress and the additional need for School Breakfast Programs across the Nation.

This program was just an idea, an experiment several years ago. In the last few years it has proven itself worthy of being taken out of the “pilot program" category and of being established as the truly vital element in the anti-hunger effort that I think it rightfully is. With our other efforts like the Food Stamp and School Lunch Programs, we have more than halfway constructed a wall against hunger around our Nation. Unfortunately, it be comes more clear every day that as we continue to treat the School Breakfast Program as the stepchild of our nutrition efforts among our children, we continue to leave these children, the poor in particular, defenseless against the pain, the apathy and the ill-health engendered by hunger for half of their day. I do not want to seem to be saying that programs like the School Lunch Program are not doing their job. The Lunch Program certainly is, and I long for the day when all, not just one-half or even two-thirds, of our Nation's poor children receive the daily meal they so desperately need.

But we must look at this realistically: these children deserve adequate nutrition, if not, as I would much prefer, very good nutrition. And, in that light, a lunch at noon may very simply be too little, too late for a child who has had food of negligible nutritional value or, in fact no food at all since noon the previous day.

Today, the importance of an adequate diet to our children is uncontroverted. The impact it has on their attitude, the educational experience, their

health and the health of our nation can hardly be disputed. Yet the program is floundering. It reaches only 940,000 of our Nation's 52 million schoolchildren. And of the number who do have an opportunity to participate, 520,000 are from poor families. That is likely to be not more than five or six percent of all the poor children who need this program. It is for this reason that I cannot understand how, after receiving a Congressional mandate to determine the number of schools desiring a School Breakfast program, the USDA comes back with an answer that only 1,170 of our 100,000 schools desire the Breakfast Program, and that 32 states have no schools at all that desire programs. On its face, the USDA response raises questions of good faith. I would hope that today's hearing. then, will help to bring us one step closer to truly "safeguarding the health and well-being of our Nation's children."

Thank you.

Senator Bellmon?

Senator BELLMON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, the significance of this morning's hearing on the School Breakfast Program, which was created by the Congress in 1966, could hardly be summed up adequately in an opening statement; or, perhaps, even in the context of supporting statements of testimony we are going to hear today. I would like to express my appreciation to our witnesses and to offer my support to any good ideas that promise to help improve the program.

NO EXCUSE FOR HUNGER

I am a member of this committee because of my membership on the Agriculture Committee, and I feel that the Agriculture Committee is eager to see that this Nation's food distribution system is protected as far as is humanly possible. We are very proud of the fact that American farmers have proven their ability to produce an abundance of nutritious foods at a very low price-in fact, more efficiently than any other farmers on the face of the earth. Each year, our Federal Government spends from $3 to $5 billion to help keep land out of production because farmers are able to produce far more food than they can sell-either in this country or for export. To me, it is ridiculous for children in this country to be hungry or poorly nourished in the presence of such abundance. Thus, I am as anxious as anyone to find ways in which we can improve the system; and to make certain our children are not hungry, and that their ability to learn is not impeded by a lack of proper nutrition.

Senator HART. Thank you. The committee is fortunate that we open the hearing by listening to Senator Case of New Jersey.

Over long years, no member of Congress has been more concerned that we do something-more insistent that we do something-than the Senior Senator from New Jersey, and, indeed, he is most wel

come.

STATEMENT OF HON. CLIFFORD P. CASE, A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Senator CASE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman and Senator Bellmon: First of all, may I express my own appreciation for what you said this morning-both of you. You are absolutely right; and, I am grateful, too, for the chance to open up the discussion from this side of the table.

nutrition. Tested against that, a lunch at noon may very simply be too little, too late for the child who has had food of negligible nutritional value; or, in fact, no food at all since noon the previous day.

OUR COUNTRY'S SCHOOLCHILDREN

We are not talking about Biafra. The importance of an adequate diet for our children is uncontroverted-the impact it has on their attitude, their educational experience, their health and the health of the country-and cannot be disputed. Yet, the program is not progressing; it is not flourishing; it has been suggested that it is floundering. It reaches only 940,000 of our 52 million schoolchildren. And, of the number who do have an opportunity to participate, 520,000 are from poor families. This is likely to be not more than 5 or 6 percent of all the poor children who need this program. It is for this reason that we want to find out how-after Congress mandated a determination of the number of schools desirous of the School Breakfast Program-the Department of Agriculture answers us that of our 100,000 schools only 1,170 desire the School Breakfast Program, and 32 States have no schools at all that desire the School Breakfast Program.

I know we should be tentative when opening a hearing, but that just seems to not add up. When the day is finished-when this record has been made-I hope all of us will more clearly understand the need; more fully understand what has to be done; and, that as a consequence, we will be a step closer to safeguarding the health and well-being of our Nation's children.

PREPARED STATEMENT OF SENATOR PHILIP HART

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for being with us here today. I would like to welcome our witnesses, my very able colleague from New Jersey, Senator Clifford Case, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Lyng, and Ronald Pollack, Suzanne Vaupel and Mark Irvings of the Food Research Action Center.

Our purpose today is to explore the progress and the additional need for School Breakfast Programs across the Nation.

This program was just an idea, an experiment several years ago. In the last few years it has proven itself worthy of being taken out of the "pilot program" category and of being established as the truly vital element in the anti-hunger effort that I think it rightfully is. With our other efforts like the Food Stamp and School Lunch Programs, we have more than halfway constructed a wall against hunger around our Nation. Unfortunately, it becomes more clear every day that as we continue to treat the School Breakfast Program as the stepchild of our nutrition efforts among our children, we continue to leave these children, the poor in particular, defenseless against the pain, the apathy and the ill-health engendered by hunger for half of their day. I do not want to seem to be saying that programs like the School Lunch Program are not doing their job. The Lunch Program certainly is, and I long for the day when all, not just one-half or even two-thirds, of our Nation's poor children receive the daily meal they so desperately need.

But we must look at this realistically: these children deserve adequate nutrition, if not, as I would much prefer, very good nutrition. And, in that light, a lunch at noon may very simply be too little, too late for a child who has had food of negligible nutritional value or, in fact no food at all since noon the previous day.

Today, the importance of an adequate diet to our children is uncontroverted. The impact it has on their attitude, the educational experience, their