The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) expressed its support for bipartisan legislation introduced in the US Senate that enables elementary schools to serve a full range of fruit and vegetable snacks.

Introduced by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and co-sponsored by Senators Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Dan Coats (R-IN) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), the Fruit and Vegetable Access for Children Act expands USDA’s fruit and vegetable program to allow schools to serve all forms of fruit and vegetables as snacks, including frozen. The program currently restricts schools to serving only raw produce.

“This expansion will give schools year round access to the widest possible variety of healthy and affordable fruits and vegetables in all forms, including frozen,” says Joseph Clayton, interim AFFI president. “As confirmed by Frozen Food Foundation-commissioned nutritional studies conducted by the Universities of Georgia (UGA) and California-Davis (UC Davis), frozen fruits and vegetables are as rich in nutrients, and often more so, than fresh stored produce. We look forward to working with school nutritionists and other stakeholders to ensure this expanded program is approved by Congress and signed into law by President Obama, which will help USDA meet its own Dietary Guidelines for Americans that encourage the consumption of frozen fruits and vegetables.”