“New school nutrition law not having immediate effect” |
| New school nutrition law not having immediate effect Posted: 19 Dec 2010 10:51 PM PST It's a sad fact of life: Nutritious food often costs more than less healthy food. Kris Spellman, food service director for the Grand Island Public Schools, noted that one fresh apple will cost more than a small package of snack food brownies or cakes. Despite their lower cost, such treats will have more calories and more fat than the apple, with less nutrition. Spellman said it is a problem that is repeated over and over. Lean meat typically is more expensive than fattier cuts of meat. Fresh fruits and vegetables typically are a little more expensive than canned fruits and vegetables, although canned fruits and vegetables are a better diet choice than many products.That can be a problem when a family or even a school district is trying to stretch its food dollars. That's why many people consider the 2010 Child Nutrition Act reauthorization to be good news for school lunch programs, although it will take a while for any of the changes to take effect. The Child Nutrition Act — like the Farm Bill, the No Child Left Behind Act and other federal laws – is supposed to be reauthorized every five years, although political gridlock can sometimes extend that timetable beyond the normal deadline. In fact, that was the case with the Child Nutrition Act, which originally had a reauthorization deadline of September 2009, which was then extended by a year. Even the second deadline was missed by a few months. The increasing prevalence of childhood obesity is one reason the new federal law is putting more emphasis on good nutritional value in school meals. But Spellman said changes will be gradual, not abrupt. She noted that once a law is passed, it takes time for federal departments to draft and implement the regulations to enforce that law. As a result, Spellman knows there will be no changes in Grand Island's school lunch program this school year and maybe even minimal changes during the 2011-12 school year. But Spellman knows the general outlines of the changes in the new law. She said, for example, the new federal law will provide more money for school districts that meet updated nutrition standards, although she does not know exactly how much more. However, several websites — including one for the School Nutrition Association — say the additional money will be 6 cents per meal. When informed of that number, Spellman said that makes a difference for a district like Grand Island. "Six cents times 6,500 meals adds up," she said. Additional reimbursement will make it possible for her food service program to buy more fresh fruit and vegetables. But Spellman also knows that the additional reimbursement probably won't even be available to school districts by next school year. She said she knows the revised Child Nutrition Act will require the United States Department of Agriculture to improve the nutritional quality of commodity foods, which are widely used by school lunch programs. Spellman said commodities can include such food items as beef patties, breaded chicken patties and breaded chicken nuggets. She noted that school food service programs are able to get these for relatively low prices. Spellman said that the cost typically equals the expense of processing the food. Likewise, school food service programs can buy canned fruits and vegetables just for the cost that it takes to deliver them to the school district, Spellman said. Those policies mean that commodity foods make the dollars in her food budget stretch further, Spellman said. But with the USDA now mandated to improve the nutritional quality of commodity foods, such foods should become healthier. She speculated one change will be lowering the fat content. She suggested breaded chicken nuggets could be breaded with whole grains, which would increase nutrition. Another likely change will be lowering sodium content in foods. Spellman said the Grand Island school district has acted unilaterally to improve nutritional value of its meals. Spellman had a fact sheet that showed several proposed changes in the 2010 law and she pointed out the district already has taken steps in those directions. For example, the 2010 law is supposed to encourage that more local foods be used by schools. Spellman said the GIPS already is purchasing some local foods. She said that as part of the district's wellness program, none of the city's elementary schools have vending machines. Middle schools do have drink vending machines, but they have limited hours for student use. Spellman said Senior High has both snack and drink machines. But the high school's vending machines should be turned off during lunch periods. "We want students to go to the school cafeteria to eat healthier foods, including maybe some fruits and vegetables, rather than going to a vending machine to buy chips and a drink," she said. The vending machines that do exist now are being stocked with healthier snacks and drinks, she said. The new federal law is supposed to improve student access to drinking water, especially at meal time. Spellman said this is something the food service program already is doing in cooperation with building principals. The 2010 law will require schools to make information about the nutritional quality of meals more readily available to parents. Spellman said Grand Island provides nutrition information about its meals on the district's website. The 2010 law also sets basic standards for school wellness policies in such areas as nutrition promotion and physical activity. Spellman said teachers who work with students younger than high school have been encouraged to use a "Jammin' Minute" of physical activity for students during some of their academic class periods. Spellman said the Grand Island school district would advise parents who want to bring food to their child's classroom as a treat to consider healthier foods. Some critics of the law have charged this means no parent can ever bring cookies or brownies to their child's class. However, the federal law does not prohibit parents from bringing such treats to their child's school, Spellman said. The Grand Island school district does not have such a policy, either. Certain foods, such as cookies, ice cream and cake, are considered treats by almost everyone who lives in America, said Spellman, who added no one is suggesting people should go the rest of their lives without enjoying such foods. On the other hand, some foods perhaps should be reserved for the special treat category, which may mean that people don't need to eat them every day, Spellman said. She said the school district wants to partner with parents. One useful way parents can partner with the schools is to try to serve more fresh fruits and vegetables in their own homes. Spellman said students can be reluctant to try such foods if they've never eaten them at home. When it comes to fresh vegetables, the food service program often tries to entice students by serving the veggies with a dip. "Low fat," Spellman added. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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