President Barack Obama recently signed an updated child nutrition bill into law, reauthorizing the federal school lunch program that, for the first time, sets nutritional standards for all foods served in schools, in cafeterias and school vending machines.
So how does that impact what is served in local school cafeterias?
The jury is still out on that, according to Jack Lazar, Kokomo-Center Schools food coordinator, who says the bill authorized the USDA to set nutritional standards, and those standards are not yet available.
“Right now, we don’t know the true impact, how it is going to affect us,” he said.
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 is expected to improve the quality of school breakfasts, lunches and other foods sold in schools while also strengthening nutrition programs that serve young children, including WIC and the Child and Adult Care Food Program. Obama’s administration has set a goal of solving the problem of childhood obesity within a generation, and first lady Michelle Obama has championed it through her Let’s Move initiative.
Lazar said from reading the legislation, he thinks Kokomo-Center is already ahead of the curve in implementing what will be required.
He thinks schools will be required to serve more whole grain products and more fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as eliminating deep fried items. Kokomo-Center’s cafeterias have not had deep fryers since 2006, he said, and Pettit Park, Bon Air and Elwood Haynes elementary schools participate in a federal grant program to provide more fresh fruits and vegetables. Lazar hopes to expand that grant to other schools.
“The changes they’re making, for Kokomo-Center Schools, it won’t impact us as much as it might some of the other schools in the state. We’ve been working toward this the last two to three years.”
He said the legislation provides an increase of 6 cents per meal to offer healthier options, which he said may not be enough.
“The cost is going to be far greater than that,” he said, adding that he thinks it could cost 10 to 15 cents more per menu item to offer more fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grain items.
Lazar said the fresh produce also will require more manpower to serve, and more time to prepare, and both represent an additional cost.
“It’s more expensive to serve healthier food, plus it’s more time consuming. We’ll have more labor involved,” he said. “The biggest obstacle will be the cost and labor, and making sure we can provide this service within the budget.”
He said there are also concerns that kids won’t eat the healthier items, but he thinks with education and taste testing, they will grow accustomed to them.
Lazar is not alone in his concerns, as several education leaders have also urged Obama to provide more funding.
National School Boards Association’s Executive Director Anne L. Bryant called it “another unfunded mandate” in a time of school budget shortfalls.
“Despite the good intensions to improve child nutrition, it is disappointing that the U.S. House of Representatives would pass such an important bill without providing adequate funding for local school districts to comply with the new requirements,” she said.
• Danielle Rush is the Kokomo Tribune education reporter. She can be reached at 765-454-8585 or danielle.rush@kokomotribune.com.
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
Neighbors of Etan Patz's Suspect: It's Shocking
Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles
Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK
Raw Video: Bride Who Faked Cancer Released
