Nourish

School Lunch – Funnel Cake, Anyone?

September 11, 2009

When my eldest daughter started elementary school and the first cafeteria menu came home I remember being more than a little surprised that the menu was pretty much the same things they were serving a generation ago when I was in elementary school. Pizza, chicken nuggets, hot turkey sandwiches. Canned fruit and chocolate milk. Popsicles and ice cream for extra. I guess I just assumed that since their school  is one of the best in our county and the parents tend to be well-educated and involved, the menu would have evolved a bit. Actually, it has. The kids in elementary school now have the option to buy chips and gummy snacks as well.

This year, my 4th grader has been “annexed” at the middle school due to overcrowding. The 4th graders have the same lunch menu as they do at the elementary school but they can also buy the a la carte items that the middle schoolers have access to. Here’s some highlights, per my daughter: funnel cake, french fries, slushies and soft pretzels (my husband wondered if the State Fair is now catering the cafeteria), as well as the gummy snacks, fruit rollups and chips that are also available at the elementary school.

According to the Baltimore County Office of Food and Nutrition Services website, here are the requirements for school lunches:

5 Food items –

• ½ pint milk
• 2 servings vegetable/fruit from two different sources
• 1 serving of grain/bread
• 1 2-ounce serving of meat or meat alternate

At least three food items must be selected from the meal patterns.

I know I would love to see more healthy options and less junk offered. More fresh cooked food (just about everything they offer now is frozen convenience food) and updated food options would be ideal. But who decides what is served? How can the average parent go about changing things?

The USDA sets the nutritional standards for school lunches and provides cash subsidies and commodities (food) to the schools. Read The National School Lunch Program Fact Sheet.

Recently, there was a discussion on a dietitian listserv I subscribe to about how to work to change the cafeteria menus. Of course, as with anything involving a bureaucracy, it is not a simple task. Here’s some advice from other dietitians about where to get started:

1. There is a federal mandate requiring each school district to have a wellness policy that guides nutritional standards in the cafeteria for that school district. I searched the Baltimore County Public Schools website for the wellness policy and this is what I camp up with. From what I understand, this wellness policy (Policy 5470 in Baltimore County) should be available from the principal, nurse or food service director at your child’s school.
2. Get involved in the committee that develops this wellness policy. I was unable to find anything about this committee on the BCPS website, but information about it should be available from your child’s school.
3. Action For Healthy Kids is “…a public-private partnership of more than 60 national organizations and government agencies representing education, health, fitness and nutrition, Action for Healthy Kids addresses the epidemic of overweight, sedentary, and undernourished youth by focusing on changes in schools to improve nutrition and increase physical activity.” The Maryland team is re-organizing and looking for volunteers to get involved.

This advice is not only for our particular school district, but any school that participates in the National School Lunch Program (which is most schools in America; private schools can also participate in it).

Here are some more links about healthy school lunches:

• Healthy Schools Campaign
• Renegade Lunch Lady
• School Lunch Talk

What approach do you take to school lunches? Do your kids bring or buy? Do you give them extra money for a la carte items? What does the cafeteria menu look like at your child’s school?

Entry Filed under: Lunch. Tags: french fries, funnel cake, kids, Lunch, National School Lunch Program, pizza, school lunch.