School Lunch Nutrition

Grain Valley schools honored for improving students' nutrition

Brad Kramer, director of food services for the Grain Valley School District, said the schools achieved the Bronze award level of the Healthier U.S. School Challenge. The award is a part of first lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” program that focuses on raising a healthier generation of children and on decreasing childhood obesity. “Our district mission statement is, ‘Effectively Educating Every Student Every Day.’ By not offering more healthy choices to students and doing the research and work for such distinction would mean that we are not performing up to this standard. Food Services is an integral part of every student’s day. By providing healthy choices for students, we are helping them to achieve more and perform better in the classroom and beyond,” he said. “During the summer school session, we removed all of our fryers from the schools, so there will be absolutely no fried foods from this point on,” he said. “A recent goal that we achieved for the 2010-11 school year was the implementation of child height salad bars at all of the elementary school locations. This has allowed us to increase the amount of raw, fresh fruit and vegetable offerings for the students and staff. As a result of achieving the HUSSC, we are also introducing more dark orange vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes), dark green vegetables (broccoli, romaine lettuce) and cooked beans and legumes.

Potatoes may regain status in school lunches — Health & Fitness ...

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Pressure against proposed changes to nutritional guidelines is causing federal officials to take another look at what foods they will recommend schools across the nation serve their students.

The increased scrutiny could improve the role of the potato in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program. Members of Maine’s congressional delegation have expressed concerns that the potato has been unfairly targeted by federal officials.

In a newly released report, the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture ’s Food and Nutrition Service to issue a new, less costly rule updating nutritional standards for the school meal program. The report hints that the USDA has been too hasty in drafting the nutrition standards governing school meals and urged “restraint” and “practical timelines” for future changes.

U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins and U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud first contacted the USDA last year after the department issued a proposal to reduce the servings of potatoes to just one per week under the school meals program.

In the House committee report, officials stated that they had received significant feedback from school districts and state representatives who have spoken out against the “overly aggressive implementation schedule” and  “unrealistic demands on changes in nutrition content” related to school meals. School district and state representatives have said that such changes in nutrition content could lead to burdensome costs, which could climb to $7 billion over five years.

The feedback and financial figures led the House to direct the USDA to “issue a new proposed rule that would not require an increase in the cost of providing school meals.”

Snowe said in a statement earlier this week that she agreed with House language, contending that limiting potato consumption would “drive up the cost of healthy meals for our students.” Snowe also said the proposed rule to cut back potato consumption “is not based on sound nutritional science.”

“I am pleased the House has recognized the flawed rationale for this rule and directed the USDA to re-evaluate its proposal for both its cost and nutritional implications on our nation’s students,” said Snowe. “As we grapple with both an obesity epidemic plaguing the health and development of our nation’s children and a soaring national debt topping $14 trillion, it is essential we consider both sound nutritional and economic data before moving forward with this policy.

New school meal regulations spark cost worries: Students buy lunch at the Spaulding High School cafeteria in Roc...

New school meal regulations spark cost worries: Students buy lunch at the Spaulding High School cafeteria in Roc...

when we go back to school. Make sure we get the same spot we had for lunch and nutrition before someome take it.

School lunch program efforts needed to improve nutrition and encourage healthy eating : report to Congressional requesters

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