Health News
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, the Obama administration's effort to mandate more fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains into the diets of school children, has some uphill climbing to do and it's not just the kids who are complaining. Though, admittedly, they were the first. Sarah Gonzales of Agri-Pulse took a look at some rural school districts trying to implement the law in advance of the law's implementation deadline, to see how the new science-based standards were working in real lunchrooms. What she found were complaints from student athletes who thought they needed more calories and more options, and substantial increases of good food thrown in the garbage. They also got this parody of "The Hunger Games" from some ingenious Kansas kids:
Dawn Matthews, director of food service for the rural Camdenton school district in Missouri, serves 3,200 school lunches every school day to kids in every grade level from K-12. The new standards, drawn from recommendations from an independent panel of doctors, nutritionists and other experts, require better nutrition and allow schools to serve between 550-650 calories for students in K-5, 600-700 calories of students for 6th through 8th grades, and 750-850 for high school lunches. Agri-Pulse reporters explain that a daily lunch costs $2.10, but almost 60 percent of the meals are offered for free for a reduced price in this rural district. Matthews notes that participation in the program is dropping with the new menu in place.
Even before the deadline for the act to be put into effect, Gonzales notes, Reps. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kans., and Steve King, R-Iowa, introduced the No Hungry Kids Act last month to repeal the new school guidelines. The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture also issued a recent policy statement saying the initial law was "well-intentioned, but falls short of providing a comprehensive policy for educating students in healthy living."
The results of the first few months of trial -- especially the waste -- have been "disheartening," said food director Matthews. It is also early. "I think it's going to evolve over time," said the chairman of Florida's Lake County School Board, Roseanne Brandeburg. "If you're in elementary school, and this is what you're going to be served, you're going to get used to it."
Agri-Pulse is subscription-only, but free trials are offered on its website.
- Anderson Schools' Lunch Profit Is Down Nearly 10 Percent; Officials Blame New Federal Nutrition Standards; Students Object To Food
Anderson County school officials say new federal nutrition standards are costing them money and hurting poor students because the students don't like how the food tastes are opting out of school meals, Editor Ben Carlson reports for The Anderson...
- Most Kentucky Schools Adapting Well To New Federal Nutrition Rules, Usda Official With Kentucky Background Says
While one Kentucky school district has ditched the federal school-meals program and the money that comes with it, an official of the U.S. Department of Agriculture?s Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services says that most Kentucky schools are creatively...
- Fort Thomas Joins Other Wealthy School Districts In U.s. That Have Dropped Federal School-lunch Program
The wealthy Fort Thomas school district in Northern Kentucky is dropping out of the federal school-lunch program because "Kids didn't like their healthful lunches," Jessica Brown reports for The Cincinnati Enquirer. "The 2,800-student district joins...
- Schools And Students Are Still Getting Used To Lunches That Are Healthier But Not As Suited To Their Tastes
School lunches look and taste different than they did before new federal nutrition standards kicked in, and that has caused more food to end up in garbage cans and more students to bring a lunch from home, according to an article from the October issue...
- Usda Issues New School Lunch Rules; Not As Broad As First Written, But Will Make Meals Healthier
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released new, finalized requirements that will make school lunch a healthier meal for students. The guidelines will mean:? Students will be given both fruit and vegetables every school day.? More foods will be made...
Health News
Testing out new school lunch guidelines yields unhappy customers, more trash and an effort to undo the mandate
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, the Obama administration's effort to mandate more fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains into the diets of school children, has some uphill climbing to do and it's not just the kids who are complaining. Though, admittedly, they were the first. Sarah Gonzales of Agri-Pulse took a look at some rural school districts trying to implement the law in advance of the law's implementation deadline, to see how the new science-based standards were working in real lunchrooms. What she found were complaints from student athletes who thought they needed more calories and more options, and substantial increases of good food thrown in the garbage. They also got this parody of "The Hunger Games" from some ingenious Kansas kids:
Dawn Matthews, director of food service for the rural Camdenton school district in Missouri, serves 3,200 school lunches every school day to kids in every grade level from K-12. The new standards, drawn from recommendations from an independent panel of doctors, nutritionists and other experts, require better nutrition and allow schools to serve between 550-650 calories for students in K-5, 600-700 calories of students for 6th through 8th grades, and 750-850 for high school lunches. Agri-Pulse reporters explain that a daily lunch costs $2.10, but almost 60 percent of the meals are offered for free for a reduced price in this rural district. Matthews notes that participation in the program is dropping with the new menu in place.
Even before the deadline for the act to be put into effect, Gonzales notes, Reps. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kans., and Steve King, R-Iowa, introduced the No Hungry Kids Act last month to repeal the new school guidelines. The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture also issued a recent policy statement saying the initial law was "well-intentioned, but falls short of providing a comprehensive policy for educating students in healthy living."
The results of the first few months of trial -- especially the waste -- have been "disheartening," said food director Matthews. It is also early. "I think it's going to evolve over time," said the chairman of Florida's Lake County School Board, Roseanne Brandeburg. "If you're in elementary school, and this is what you're going to be served, you're going to get used to it."
Agri-Pulse is subscription-only, but free trials are offered on its website.
- Anderson Schools' Lunch Profit Is Down Nearly 10 Percent; Officials Blame New Federal Nutrition Standards; Students Object To Food
Anderson County school officials say new federal nutrition standards are costing them money and hurting poor students because the students don't like how the food tastes are opting out of school meals, Editor Ben Carlson reports for The Anderson...
- Most Kentucky Schools Adapting Well To New Federal Nutrition Rules, Usda Official With Kentucky Background Says
While one Kentucky school district has ditched the federal school-meals program and the money that comes with it, an official of the U.S. Department of Agriculture?s Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services says that most Kentucky schools are creatively...
- Fort Thomas Joins Other Wealthy School Districts In U.s. That Have Dropped Federal School-lunch Program
The wealthy Fort Thomas school district in Northern Kentucky is dropping out of the federal school-lunch program because "Kids didn't like their healthful lunches," Jessica Brown reports for The Cincinnati Enquirer. "The 2,800-student district joins...
- Schools And Students Are Still Getting Used To Lunches That Are Healthier But Not As Suited To Their Tastes
School lunches look and taste different than they did before new federal nutrition standards kicked in, and that has caused more food to end up in garbage cans and more students to bring a lunch from home, according to an article from the October issue...
- Usda Issues New School Lunch Rules; Not As Broad As First Written, But Will Make Meals Healthier
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released new, finalized requirements that will make school lunch a healthier meal for students. The guidelines will mean:? Students will be given both fruit and vegetables every school day.? More foods will be made...