As a country, we are “too fat to fight.” said James A. “Jamie” Barnett, Jr., Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (Retired) at The Washington Conference hosted by the United Fresh Produce Association this week.

In his keynote speech, the Admiral shared shocking facts with the 500+ produce professionals in attendance that our military is facing the negative effects of childhood obesity. Today, 75% of Americans are not eligible to serve in our military even if they wanted to due to issues like criminal records, lack of education or due to excess weight.

So the reality for many of us in the room was not only is excess weight making us sick, it’s raising our health care costs and now excess weight is wreaking havoc on our military’s ability to recruit and protect our country. On top of that, The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Acts, a piece of landmark legislation passed in 2012 that requires ½ cup of fruits or vegetables on breakfast and lunch plates in schools, is in jeopardy of reform. So to say the least, United Fresh did a wonderful job of preparing the attendees of The Washington Conference for our time with legislators on the Hill.

Here are some of key facts and highlights that we compiled from both the 2010 and 2012 Mission: READINESS reports that Admiral Barnett shared with us:

• 1 in 4 people cannot join the military due to excess weight.
• Over the past 30 years while adult rates of obesity have doubled, childhood obesity rates have tripled.
• Thirteen years ago, in only one state, KY, were 40% or more of young adults overweight or obese. Now forty states have that many overweight or obese young adults.
• Students consume over 400 billion calories in junk food each year at school, equal to almost 2 billion candy bars.
• As reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 17% of girls age 12 to 19 years are now suffering from childhood obesity (not just excess weight).
• Even more boys in that age range are obese – 20% – and the boys’ rates are still rising.
• One third of all American adults are obese by the criterion used for adults: a Body Mass Index of over 30, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• When New York City combined limiting junk food in its schools with other improvements in nutrition, physical activity and child/parent education that took place not only in the schools but city-wide, rates of obesity among K-8 children dropped by 5.5% in four years.

For many, including Admiral Barnett, these startling statistics suggest that our country’s own National Security could be at risk if we can’t correct our childhood obesity epidemic for future generations. Being in our nation’s capital this week, I began to think about the effects that childhood obesity will likely have on the safety of our country in the relatively near future. I think about the men and women that have served or are serving to secure our freedom and the people that will fill their shoes in succession. I consider our role in the big picture and I think about the imminent responsibility that we have as the individuals to ensure that Americans have access to and education about the fresh fruit and vegetables that can help solve the obesity epidemic threatening our country.

What can you do to help? Contact your congressmen and congresswomen and tell them that you, along with your colleagues in fresh food production and agriculture, want congress to stay firm on the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act and keep ½ cup of fruits and vegetables on the menu in American schools.