National Harbor, Md., February 23, 2012 – Next month, over 900 school nutrition professionals from across the nation will gather in Washington DC to discuss new school meal nutrition standards and urge Congress to ease the financial burden on school meal programs working to meet these regulations. School Nutrition Association’s (SNA) 40th annual Legislative Action Conference (LAC) runs from March 4 – 7, 2012 at the JW Marriott Hotel, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

LAC comes at a critical time for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, as school cafeterias work to meet the new meal pattern starting in the 2012-2013 school year, and Congress prepares to draft a new Farm Bill. LAC will feature several key discussions on these topics including:

• Former Secretaries of Agriculture John Block and Dan Glickman and Former Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Charles Conner will participate in a roundtable discussion on school nutrition, the upcoming Farm Bill and the general election.
• Dr. Janey Thornton, USDA Dep. Under Sec. for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, and Cindy Long, USDA Child Nutrition Division Director of the Food and Nutrition Service, will brief attendees on the new meal pattern and continued implementation of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (Public Law 111–296)
• Attendees will hear from Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), Ranking Member of the US Senate Committee on Agriculture. Noted political commentator Charlie Cook will deliver a keynote address.
• LAC also includes a “Charge to the Hill” allowing SNA members to meet with their representatives to discuss school nutrition issues and SNA’s 2012 Legislative Issue Paper.

Media wishing to attend these events must contact Diane Pratt-Heavner at 301-686-3124 or media@schoolnutrition.org to register for the conference.

About School Nutrition Association:
The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is a national, non-profit professional organization representing 55,000 school nutrition professionals across the country. Founded in 1946, SNA and its members are dedicated to making healthy school meals and nutrition education available to all students. To find out more about today’s school meals, visit www.TrayTalk.org.