School lunches are an American institution. Every kid is exposed to them at one point, whether it is during the elementary school with chicken nuggets, meat-loaf surprise, or mystery meat casserole, or those high school years with the freedom to choose between pizza, Mexican food, a burger, or a trip to a fast food joint.
Lunchtime was my favorite subject, but it usually didn’t involve eating fresh-cooked foods or worrying about the ingredients in the oh-so-tasty mystery meat casserole.
On Aug. 5, the Senate passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which guarantees an additional $4.5 billon over the next 10 years to federal child nutrition programs.
The act sets new nutritional standards for school meals and expands the number of low-income children eligible for free or discounted meals.
The goal of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, and other campaigns like Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, is to curb the amount of kids, and eventually adults, who are obese in the United States. Legislators hope that by starting in the school lunchroom, kids can learn healthy eating habits and become accustomed to eating fresh foods, more fruits and vegetables, and less junk.
With increased emphasis placed on health care reform, it is increasingly apparent that obesity-caused ailments like diabetes contribute to high health care costs.
Oliver’s Food Revolution campaign involves not only distributing healthy meals in the lunch room, but teaching kids how to cook themselves, in the mold of the “if you give a man a fish…” adage.
But, as with all things, it all comes down to money.
The $4.5 billion allotted by the senate for the Act should help with attaining Oliver’s goals. But, the amount only gives schools an additional 6 cents per-meal reimbursement, which increases the total per-meal reimbursement to only $1.06 per-meal. With such a small increase in funding, it’s unlikely that schools will be interested in seriously reforming their menus.
Even if schools are able to stop selling junk food in the lunch room, there is no way to guarantee that kids won’t bring their lunches out of distaste or boredom with the new, healthier meals.
A recent info graphic on the New York Times website showed how schools could “nudge” kids into taking advantage of healthy options in the lunchroom without eliminating choices or buying more expensive ingredients.
Professors Brian Wansink and David R. Just, both of Cornell University, show in the info graphic a variety of simple lunchroom strategies that they have observed. One high school in upstate New York was able to triple the number of salads students bought by simply moving the salad bar in front of the checkout register and away from the wall.
At another school, simply keeping the ice cream in a closed container with an opaque lid greatly reduced ice cream sales. Elsewhere, students bought more plain milk when it was placed in front of the chocolate milk on the counter.
While these small changes may seem trivial, they direct students toward healthy choices, don’t require drastic menu changes and allow students to buy treats if they so choose.
We need to place emphasis on not only encouraging students to make healthier choices in the lunchroom but to also cook for themselves and their families.
Share some of your recipes at benjamin.negley@asu.edu
