Lose the tater tots. Keep the tomato paste-laden pizza.
Those are among the changes for children’s school lunches recently proposed by the federal government. And they are at the heart of national and local concern about how to assure children of at least one healthy meal a day — in the school cafeteria.
“We feed kids correctly here,” said Annette Marchbanks, assistant director of food services for the Syracuse City School District. “When they’re at home, a lot of these kids don’t get the same kind of nutrition. We need to make sure they can eat healthy somewhere.”
Nationally, more than 31.7 million school children were getting their lunch through the National School Lunch Program as of Oct. 30 of this year, according to the Department of Agriculture. Among the states, New York has the third-highest number of students — more than 1.8 million — in the program.
The federal Department of Agriculture recently proposed changing the national guidelines for subsidized school lunches. Some school officials are balking at the potential changes, saying it would prevent children from eating some of the only healthy food options available to them.
The agriculture department’s proposal is the first attempt 15 years to revise the menu for subsidized school lunches. It includes limiting starchy foods, such a potatoes and corn, and maintaining the rule that qualifies more than a one-fourth cup of tomato paste as a vegetable.
State and local officials express concern about the food options available to students today. Among their concerns:
Healthy food costs
Kids and their families are more likely to buy processed junk food as opposed to fresh fruits and vegetables because junk food costs so much less, said Marchbanks of the city school district’s food service. In 2007, for example, University of Washington researchers compared prices of low-calorie snacks, like fruits, to their potato-chip counterparts. The study showed 1,000 calories of junk food cost $1.76, while fruits and vegetables hit at $18.16 per 1,000 calories.
The subsidized and free-lunch program for low-income students can be a solution to the high expense of nutritious food, say experts.
Without the federal subsidy, school lunches cost between $1.10 and $1.60 at the Syracuse City School District, depending on grade level. The program allows eligible students to pay nothing or up to 25 cents. About 75 percent of elementary students and 40 percent of high school students in the district take subsidized or free lunches to their tables every day, Marchbanks said.
Picky eaters
Under federal regulations, subsidized lunches count for one-third to one-half of a child’s daily caloric intake. The menu from the Department of Agriculture calls for 8 ounces of milk, 2 ounces of meat or a meat alternative, two servings of fruit or vegetable and two servings of grains. In New York, state regulations also forbid school sales of unhealthy food options of sweetened soda water, chewing gum, candy and water ices that don’t contain fruit or fruit juice.
But a culturally diverse student population can complicate finding common ground in terms of appealing food, said Marchbanks, the assistant director of food services for the district.
The Syracuse City School District does more than most other schools in terms of mandatory healthy options, said Marchbanks. The lunch rooms don’t have whole or 2-percent milk. They’ve nixed white bread altogether. High school students have hot lunch options, as well as an a-la-carte selection and grab-and-go lunches to take outside in nice weather.
The Syracuse City School District spends $10 million on food services, including food, expenses and the product itself, Marchbanks said.
Early nutrition education
What’s on the family table at home helps teach children to eat healthier at school, say nutrition experts.
“The parents need to be a part of feeding their kids well so that when the kids come to school, there’s already and expectation of what they’re going to get in the lunch room,” said Carol Beebe, executive director for the New York School Nutrition Association.
To help parents, Syracuse’s Department of Parks and Recreation Services developed an after-school program that featured cooking classes for students and their families. The program is called the Fit Kids Club. It offers three nights of cooking classes and nutrition programs.
Said Marchbanks of the city school district: “We can’t afford to not give the kids this food.”
(Sara Tracey is a senior majoring in newspaper journalism.)
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