School Meal Success Threatened by Junk Foods:
USDA Asks Congress for Help
Junk food at schools is contributing to obesity and other
health problems in our nation's children. That is according to "Foods
Sold in Competition with USDA School Meal Programs", a study conducted
by the United States Department of Agriculture and presented to Congress
in February. Between snacks sold in school cafeterias and snacks in
vending machines in school buildings, American children are eating their
way to health problems that have heretofore been primarily adult maladies.
School lunches and breakfasts must meet federal dietary
guidelines, including limits on overall fat content. There also are
minimum nutritional standards for drinks and snacks sold in cafeterias.
The trouble is kids at many schools have the opportunity to make meal/snack
choices that could adversely affect their health.
Back in 1977 the USDA restricted soft drinks and other
items sold outside the cafeterias. In 1983 those regulations were overturned
by a court. The government continues to set nutritional standards for
what is served in cafeterias, but legislation would be needed to change
what is allowed in other parts of the school buildings.
Why the USDA is so concerned
According to the USDA study, only 2% of children meet
the Food Guide Pyramid serving recommendations for all five major food
groups. Children of both sexes, ages 6-8, fare better than other age
groups in meeting the standard requirements for vitamins and minerals
excluding vitamin E and Zinc. Teenage girls are at especially high risk
of having low vitamin and mineral intake.
Even more sobering are additional USDA study findings
on the foods kids eat. Over two-thirds of high school females exceed
the recommended daily intake of total fat and saturated fat. Twenty
percent of daily food energy for all children comes from added sugars,
which include sugars added while foods are consumed (sugar on unsweetened
cereal) or processed (peanut butter, sweetened cereal, bologna, etc.).
Soda has increasingly replaced milk as the beverage of choice for children
and youths. Soda is consumed by 56-85% of children (dependent on age
and gender) on any given day. Colleen McCann of the Director of Pennsylvania
Dietetic Association (PADA) cites the research of Ann Rogan, Ph.D. R.D.,
which states "on average in the U.S. children drink the equivalent
of 900 - 8 oz. cups of soda per year. This alarming state has extremely
negative implications for the consumption of calcium containing beverages,
mainly milk". McCann continues by noting that the "frequency
of milk consumption during childhood was found to be the strongest predictor
of adult milk intake."
Some American children are faring better than others.
Kids who participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) are
better off nutritionally, eat more vegetables, and drink less soda and
juices. However, these positives are easily negated with the availability
of competitive foods.
Who is the "Big Bad Wolf"?
Evolution of the school lunch/snack environment cannot
be pinned on any one group or individual, but the USDA study identifies
a range of contributing factors that have resulted in putting our children's
health at risk.
· Student
preferences. Kids like smart and glitzy
packaging. Prepackaged lunches are cute, but they're not always
the best choice nutritionally. It's more fun to visit around a
vending machine than to wait in a long line for lunch. Kids prefer
fast food, sweetened beverages, and salty snacks.
· Limited
resources. Schools have a hard time financially. (Increasingly
in Pennsylvania more and more revenues for schools originate locally
and less funds come from the state and federal government.) Nutrition
has moved down on the priority list, and many school food service
programs must be self-supporting. Many schools have put in a la
carte and fast food options to increase revenue.
· "Pouring
rights" contracts. Schools have found revenues by contracting
with soft drink companies for exclusive pouring rights. See The
Hunger Advocate, February 2000, p.3 or "How
Can Things Go Better with Coke?".
· Population
and serving space limitations. When school populations increase
and budgets decrease, schools use their money to augment classrooms,
not cafeteria facilities. The Food Service Equipment Program designed
to help needy schools buy cafeteria equipment was discontinued
in 1981. With limited time to eat and inadequate dining facilities,
many kids turn to vending machines and snack bars.
· Inadequate
meal periods. To increase "academic time" many schools
shorten lunch periods. Tutoring and special clubs are often scheduled
during lunch, so kids grab a snack instead of a meal.
· Lack of
education standards for school food service directors. There
is no national standard for school food service directors' educational
level. It can vary from less than high school to a graduate degree.
Louisiana has the greatest participation in school lunch in the
country. They require a graduate degree in nutrition, dietetics,
home economics or institutional management.
What can and should be done? Asking
Congress to act
To help foster a healthier school nutrition environment,
USDA recommended that Congress:
· Strengthen
the statutory language so that all food sold during the school
day meets nutrition standards.
· Strengthen
the statutory language so that revenues from all competitive food
sales go solely to the school food service account.
· Require states
to have reasonable lengths for meal periods.
· Provide financial
incentives to schools that establish specific education and training
standards to local food service managers.
· Authorize
financial assistance to schools for purchase of school food service
equipment.
· Include funding
for cafeteria and dining spaces for school meals in any Federal
school construction legislation.
· Amend the
current requirements for State revenue matching funds to increase
the level of State funding for local food services. This would
increase the state interest in encouraging schools to provide
efficient and effective school food service.
What happens now in the lunchroom is in the court of both
our legislators and local school districts. Leann Hocker, President-elect
of the Pennsylvania School Food Service Association and member of the
American School Food Service Association (ASFSA), was part of a delegation
which recently went to Washington to advocate for changes in the regulations
for school nutrition. The group spoke with Pennsylvania's members of
the House and Senate. Hocker said, "ASFSA supports legislation
that would reestablish the authority of the Secretary to regulate the
sale of all foods throughout the entire school until the end of the
school day. ASFSA believes that the Secretary of Agriculture should
have the authority to regulate foods sold in competition with school
meals programs." Hocker is hopeful that the legislators will recognize
the importance of this issue to children's cognitive and physical development.
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