School Lunches Kathryn Kelley Typical School Lunch Healthy

School Lunches Kathryn Kelley

Typical School Lunch

Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act, 2010 Menu Compared to Menu at East Whittier City School District • Do not offer reduced fat mayonnaise, low fat ranch and Italian dressing • Salads only contain iceberg lettuce • Vegetables offered only consist of carrots, jicama, corn, and potatoes (baked white potato, mashed potatoes or French fries) • Whole fruit offered only consists of apples and bananas (rarely pears) • Other fruit products are in corn syrup (peaches) • There is no skim chocolate milk (only 2%)

School Lunch Waste • A provision called “offer vs. serve” was created to allow students to select 3 or more meal components to reduce food waste • • Congress estimated that food waste costs might be as high as $600 million A plate waste study confirmed that students consumed on average only half of the calories in their lunches Food discarded: 19% of entrees, 47% of fruit, 25% milk, and 73% vegetables On average, only about 60% of foods served were consumed Cohen, J. F. , Richardson, S. , Austin, S. B. , Economos, C. D. , & Rimm, E. B. (2013). School Lunch Waste Among Middle School Students: Nutrients Consumed and Costs. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 44(2), 114 -121. Retrieved from http: //dx. doi. org/10. 1016/j. amepre. 2012. 09. 060

Recent News: Trash Cameras • Lake County school leaders in Florida have proposed installing trash • • cams to determine what portion of students’ lunches are being thrown away Last year, officials estimated that students tossed $75, 000 worth of food in the trash cans Trash cameras would have a built in program that assesses the number of calories consumed ( takes before & after pictures of lunch trays) Would be costly http: //www. huffingtonpost. com/2012/10/02/florida-school-leadersmu_n_1930447. html

Positive Outcomes : USDA Standards • The new USDA nutrition standards that took effect in the beginning of the 20122013 school year has increased the availability of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables • Requires a selection of fruits and vegetables offered • • Serving sizes of fruits and vegetables are larger Trans fatty acids have been removed Half the grains offered, must be whole 2014 -2015 school year: all grains must be whole Cohen, J. F. , Richardson, S. , Parker, E. , Catalano, P. J. , & Rimm, E. B. (2014). Impact of the New U. S. Department of Agriculture School Meal Standards on Food Selection, Consumption, and Waste. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 46(4), 388 -394. Retrieved from http: //dx. doi. org/10. 1016/j. amepre. 2013. 11. 013

What’s For Lunch? U. S. School Lunch Program Documentary • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=8 jcl. B-7 uyl 8