Tyrone Turner: Courtesy of the Robert Wood Johnson
Across our nation, students are settling into back-to-school
routines. Between their daily lessons in math, science and reading,
there’s another subject important to their academic success but often
overlooked and not found on their report cards: nutrition.
Yes, it’s time to talk about lunch.
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Each day more than 30 million American students get their midday meals at school. For much of the last three decades, as the nation’s childhood obesity rate surged, school meals weren’t as healthy as they could have been. But thanks to updated school nutrition standards issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2012 — and the work of innovative nutrition professionals — cafeteria menus are now healthier than ever.
Each day more than 30 million American students get their midday meals at school. For much of the last three decades, as the nation’s childhood obesity rate surged, school meals weren’t as healthy as they could have been. But thanks to updated school nutrition standards issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2012 — and the work of innovative nutrition professionals — cafeteria menus are now healthier than ever.
Today, every
school lunch includes a serving of fruit or vegetables plus lean protein
and foods rich in whole grains. Nearly one-third of schools have
self-serve salad bars. And the stronger national nutrition standards
have reduced geographic and demographic differences: Before the
standards were updated, teenagers at larger schools or campuses with
predominantly white enrollments were more likely to have healthy options
on daily menus than students at smaller or more racially and ethnically
diverse schools. But now, the smaller and more diverse schools have increased their offerings of nutritious items enough to close the gap.
But like any
classroom, successful nutrition programs and education require the right
tools and professional training. Both are in too short supply. As
Congress works on a five-year reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act
this fall, members should make greater support for training and new
equipment a top priority.
When the
updated meal standards took effect in 2012, The Pew Charitable Trusts
and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation surveyed school meal program
administrators nationwide and found that 88 percent of districts
reported needing at least one new piece of kitchen equipment to serve
healthier meals, such as ovens to cook baked potatoes and large-capacity
slicers to cut fruit and vegetables. Almost two-thirds reported staff
training needs, but only 37 percent said they had the necessary funding to provide the training.
The bipartisan School Food Modernization Act,
pending in both chambers of Congress, would address these obstacles to
healthy, efficient meal programs. The legislation would help schools
obtain loans and grants to finance kitchen updates and training for food
service professionals. For a while, Congress has appropriated about $50
million in recent years to help schools purchase new kitchen equipment,
availability of these resources has been irregular and limited to a
fraction of the almost 100,000 schools in the United States. The
modernization bill would bring improved access and predictability for
schools seeking assistance with equipment upgrades and staff training.
The difference
made by these investments is tangible. Anna Fisher, director of food and
nutrition services for the Mount Diablo Unified School District, about
30 miles east of San Francisco, recently made use of a federal grant to
help purchase a new serving line that allows students to choose their
own food from a display. “We’ve seen that when the children select their
own food, less food gets thrown away,” Fisher reports. The grant also
helped her district procure a walk-in refrigerator that lets the staff
store and serve twice as much fresh produce while reducing energy costs.
It’s clear why large majorities of voters who have children in public schools, as well as adults nationwide, want to maintain the policies spurring this progress. According
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, healthy kids learn
better. As Congress continues to evaluate the successes and challenges
of the Child Nutrition Act, the debate should not be over whether to
require that school meals include healthy food. Instead, lawmakers
should look at how far schools have come and build on the programs that
are working so well.
