OREANDA-NEWS. Today, the Walmart Foundation kicked off National Nutrition Month and National School Breakfast Week by announcing USD 6.7 million in grants to five national nonprofit organizations that are providing children with school breakfast and helping families develop better eating habits. The grants are part of Walmart and the Walmart Foundation’s USD 2 billion cash and in-kind commitment through 2015 to help fight hunger in America and Walmart’s 2011 initiative to provide customers with healthier and more affordable food choices.

Grants to Action for Healthy Kids and the American Association of School Administrators will support programs that help more children start their school day with a morning meal, providing them with the nutritional substance they need to learn and grow. Additional grants to Common Threads, the Gaston & Porter Health Improvement Center and the National 4-H Council will fund programs that empower people of all ages with the education and training they need to identify, shop for and prepare healthier meals.

“Through Walmart and the Walmart Foundation’s ongoing commitment to help Americans live better, we are working to make nutritious food more accessible and affordable to children and adults across the nation,” said Julie Gehrki, senior director of the Walmart Foundation. “Many Americans are not making a well-balanced diet part of their daily routine. According to the Centers for Disease Control, only 25 percent of adults, and even fewer children, eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables each day. Through these grants, we are proud to partner with nonprofits to assure families not only have access to the healthy food they need, but also are empowered with the knowledge to develop and maintain better eating habits so they can live long and healthy lives.”

In addition to not eating enough fruits and vegetables, most Americans do not get enough whole grains and fat-free or low-fat milk products in their diets, and are consuming too much fat, sweetened beverages and sodium. Yet, a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that nutrition education programs can make a significant contribution to improving dietary habits.