As Spider-Man, he defeated the Green Goblin and Sandman. But in his latest role, actor Tobey Maguire is taking on an even bigger threat-unhealthy school lunches. In letters dated July 30 to Sen. Tom Harkin and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Mr. Maguire asks these key members of Congress to improve child nutrition and fight obesity by reforming the Child Nutrition Act to help schools serve more fruits, vegetables, and healthful vegetarian foods. Mr. Maguire and his wife, Jennifer Meyer Maguire, are now the parents of two children: Otis Tobias and Ruby Sweetheart.
“As a parent, I am contacting you because I am deeply concerned that unhealthy school lunches are contributing to our nation’s childhood obesity epidemic,” writes Mr. Maguire. “My wife and I just had our second child, so this issue is tremendously important to us…Let me ask you please to ensure the Child Nutrition Act provides more fruits, vegetables, and healthy vegetarian foods. Young people deserve healthful food, and I can’t imagine a better investment in the future of our country.”
The Child Nutrition Act, which will soon come up for congressional review, has posed a long-standing obstacle to providing students with healthful fare. Each year, the USDA buys up millions of pounds of surplus beef, pork, and other high-fat meat products to distribute to schools. Students end up with unhealthy options, even as schools struggle to provide fruits, vegetables, and low-fat plant-based meals.
To read the letter in its entirety you can click here.
Wow, and you think the celebrities are too popular to care about such things…
Actors like Tobey Maguire makes me glad. We rarely see celebrities speak up for what they believe in, genuinely. And by that, I mean not for publicity. I know his request is a sincere one. He spoke as a parent concerned about his own as well as other kids.
Way to go Spidey! 😀