Act Now to Defend Healthy School Lunches for Kids!

The House of Representatives will vote soon on whether or not they will gut or protect new standards for improved school lunches. It is a known fact that our consumption of fruits and vegetables could prevent thousands of deaths and billions of dollars in health care costs each year from diet-related chronic disease, yet Americans of all ages are not eating nearly enough of these healthy foods. Congress recently improved federally funded school lunches by requiring at least half a cup of fruits and vegetables with every meal, and these standards were a positive first step. We can’t go back on the gains we have made to improve kids’ diets. Click here to urge your member of Congress to stop the attack on healthy school lunch standards!

Tell the Obama administration: Don’t Approve the Cove Point Fracked Gas Export Terminal

Despite massive public opposition, the Obama administration just took a major step toward approving one of the worst fracking projects ever proposed: the Cove Point fracked gas export facility in Maryland.?If built, Cove Point will help grow global
demand for fracked gas, ushering in a huge expansion in the U.S. of toxic fracking, and dangerous fracking infrastructure. Despite this, an Environmental Assessment of the terminal concludes that Cove Point will “not result in significant cumulative impacts.” We have to speak out right now to push back on this dangerous plan. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is accepting public comments on the project until Monday.
That gives us just a few days to weigh in and urge the administration not to sign off on fracked gas exports. Click here to tell the Obama administration: Don’t approve the Cove Point fracked gas export terminal.

Say No to ‘Natural’ on Food Labels

According to a new survey from the Consumer Reports National Research Center, the claim ?natural,? which can be found on countless food labels, is widely misunderstood by consumers. Nearly 60 percent of people look for the term when they shop for food, probably because they think the products labeled “natural” are better for them than products without that claim. About two-thirds believe it means a processed food has no artificial ingredients, pesticides, or genetically modified organisms, and more than 80 percent believe that it should mean those things. Yet, the Food and Drug Administration hasn?t developed a formal definition for the term. The agency says that manufacturers can use “natural” if nothing artificial or synthetic has been added to the food, yet those ingredients are still found in many ?natural? products. To help consumers make more informed choices at the grocery store, Consumer Reports is launching a new campaign to ban the term ?natural.? ?Click here to take action.