Conclusion

In conclusion, my research has found that there are hundreds of active coalitions, non-profit organizations, schools, agencies, that are advocating for changes in the school lunch. Changes are being made at the federal level too. The gap that has not been closed yet, though, relates to nationwide follow-through and financial stipend. I have learned a reasonable amount of information regarding school lunches and nutrition this semester and how the children really are affected by unhealthy school lunch offerings. Unhealthy school lunches are almost like silent killers because the overall health (looking at the population as a whole) of our children is declining. I had a lot of fun reading blogs and postings on this issue, and with others like myself interested in the issue, given time, changes will take place!

Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol

Coming across The Blueprint for Kentucky's Children, I realized, "What a perfect opportunity to address the school lunch issue as well as aspects of healthy eating to the children of Kentucky!" The Blueprint for Kentucky´s Children is a coalition of nonprofit, private, and public organizations committed to making Kentucky a great place to be a kid. It is a time of gathering and rallying of Kentucky children at the Capitol in Frankfort, KY. Claiming that legislators of Kentucky cares about the children, I will be in contact with Representatives, House of Representative Kelly Flood and House of Representative Ruth Ann Palumbo. Both women are invovled with education and health committees. I will address one of the most pressing issues Kentucky’s kids are facing today, healthy eating as well as obesity.

At the Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol, all are welcome to take a stand and raise their voice. Elected officials, social workers, teachers, judges, doctors, public health experts, therapists, members of the military, seniors, and kids all come together to rally on children’s issues and talk to legislators about the Blueprint for Kentucky's agenda.

After the rally, there will be opportunity to meet with legislators, sit-in on committee meetings, and sit-in on a House or Senate meeting.

I completely agree that in order to move Kentucky forward, we must make responsible investments in our children. Child advocates throughout the state need to speak with a common voice and advocate for a common agenda.

http://blueprintky.org/index.html

Fed Up with Lunch

http://fedupwithlunch.com/2011/12/littlebeepops/

Click the link above to visit another blog site called Fed Up with Lunch. You can view my guest blog post under Liz Snyder's blog "In Defense of the Childhood Treat."

National School Lunch Program

According to Las Angeles Times, there is speculation that the National School Lunch Program may be partly to blame the childhood obesity epidemic. But why? How? Isn't the National School Lunch Program suppose to get nutritious food into the stomachs of the children who cannot afford nutritious foods, coming from a low-income family?

From the article:
"The latest report was published online this week by the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. It concludes that girls who participate in the National School Lunch Program gain weight at a faster clip than other girls from low-income families who do not get the subsidized lunches (and sometimes breakfasts) at school."

"According to background information in the study, about 36% of kids ages 6 to 11 are overweight and 20% are obese. That can lead to lifelong problems, including an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and many kinds of cancer. For girls, extra weight can also mean earlier onset of puberty, which also increases the risk of depression, eating disorders, breast cancer and other health problems."

"Studies have found that kids who are part of the school lunch program get more protein, vitamins and minerals in their diets and eat fewer foods with added sugar. However, studies have also found that these kids also consume more dietary fat and more calories overall. In addition, some studies have found that kids on the program weigh more than their peers."

According to a study done from Penn State University where 574 girls and 566 boys across the country enrolled in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study as kindergartners in 1998, girls participating in the school lunch program were shown to gain weight faster and weigh more. For the boys, there was no statistical significance of those who were on the school lunch program compared to those who were not.

The link to the above post can be assessed at http://articles.latimes.com/2011/apr/06/news/la-heb-school-lunch-program-obesity-20110406

Easy on the Eye :)

Legislative Issues

The Healthy School Meals Act of 2010 (H.R. 4870)

What is the purpose of the Healthy School Meals Act?  Will it require schools to serve plant-based school lunches?

• The Healthy School Meals Act, H.R. 4870, will help schools to offer healthful plant-based vegetarian options if they choose to do so, but it does not requires schools to serve particular foods. The act directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct a pilot program (modeled after its successful whole grains pilot) to determine what healthful plant-based protein products children like and are easy to prepare for school breakfasts and lunches. Based on the findings of this pilot, the USDA is directed to then add such products (like vegetable burgers or soy chicken nuggets) to the commodities list, thus reducing significantly their cost. (Currently, schools have to purchase these products at market rates, unlike other products on the commodities list.)
• In addition to making healthful foods more affordable, the legislation provides an incentive of additional financial assistance for those school districts that choose to offer a majority of students a healthful plant-based entrée among the several options available in the lunch line. Schools can use the supplemental commodity assistance to buy more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other healthful plant-based foods. This bill is about helping those schools that want to provide the healthiest options for our children but cannot afford to do so.

Why plant-based meal options for students?

• Today, one in three children is overweight and one in five struggle with obesity. Children are increasingly affected by obesity and related conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, which were previously considered adult diseases. Children consume too much saturated fat and sodium and don’t get enough fiber, whole grains, fruits, or vegetables. Most schools are struggling to meet the USDA guidelines: More than 70 percent of schools can't meet the maximum saturated fat requirement. According to the latest research, children who eat school-purchased lunches are more likely to be overweight and obese, and less likely to eat fruits and vegetables.
• Plant-based vegetarian foods are cholesterol free, generally low in fat and saturated fat, lower in calories, and higher in fiber. Plant-based school lunch options are not just healthier—they are some of the healthiest options schools can provide and have the potential to make the biggest impact on improving children’s health. Millions of children get more than half of their daily calories at school, and with each plant-based entrée that a child chooses, he or she is more likely to receive the health benefits of plant-based diets—lower risk for becoming overweight or obese and developing diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.
• Offering plant-based menu options also helps schools to meet and exceed existing nutritional standards for the school lunch program: Rather than simply reducing saturated fat and cholesterol, they can eliminate it almost entirely from some menu items with this approach. By providing schools with entirely plant-based foods that are affordable, we are ensuring that our federal dollars are spent on food that will directly improve student’s nutrient intake. In addition, offering plant-based meal options allows all children—those who are lactose-intolerant, or avoid animal products for religious, ethical, or health reasons—to find healthful options in the lunch line.
• In schools across the country where healthful plant-based options are offered regularly (including Broward County, Fla., Boulder, Colo., and San Diego), they are very well accepted by children and have made it easier for the school districts to meet existing USDA nutritional standards.

What will it cost to provide healthful plant-based options for school lunches?

• The Healthy School Meals Act, H.R. 4870, introduces a pilot program at a cost of $4 million. The pilot program will provide plant-based alternate protein products (like vegetable burgers and soy nuggets) and nondairy milk free to schools, with the goal of evaluating which products are most favorable. Subsequently, the best products will be added to the USDA commodities program, so schools can purchase them at low cost. Many schools that currently do not offer these healthier options say they would do so if these types of products were more affordable.
• The act will also offer 25 percent supplemental commodity assistance to school districts that offer a plant-based entrée option to a majority of their students each day. Currently, only about 20 percent of school districts are offering plant-based options in at least one school some of the time, according to the School Nutrition Association’s 2009 Operations Report, but far fewer schools are offering this type of healthful option regularly to a majority of their students. If 20 percent of school districts offered daily plant-based options under the Healthy School Meals Act, the cost in supplemental commodity assistance would be $46.6 million. The supplemental assistance provided would directly assist schools in serving the healthiest foods by allowing them to purchase more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and plant-based proteins through the commodities program.
• Obesity-related conditions cost an estimated $147 billion in medical costs each year. Improving children’s health and helping them develop lifelong healthy habits can help prevent obesity and significantly reduce medical costs in our nation.

Why require schools to offer nondairy milk alternatives? Aren’t schools currently required to provide nondairy milk alternatives for students who are lactose intolerant?

• Schools are only required to provide an alternative to dairy milk for students who have a disability, such as an allergy, upon receipt of a written statement from a licensed physician. 42 U.S.C. §1758(a)(1)(B)(iii).
• Any reason other than a disability (including lactose intolerance, religious, or ethical preference) requires a note signed by a doctor or parent, but even then schools are not required to provide a substitute beverage that is nutritionally equivalent to dairy milk. If a school district decides to provide a substitute, it must first notify the state educational agency, which is a significant burden. Currently, schools that provide a dairy milk substitute must incur the additional expense of purchasing the substitute, which is often significant compared to the low cost of dairy milk available to schools. 42 U.S.C. §1758(a)(2)(B).
• Also, most schools are unable to provide a nutritionally-equivalent substitute for fluid milk, because most of the readily available dairy milk alternatives do not meet the nutritional requirement for protein (for example, most soymilk products on the market have only about 6-7 grams of protein, while the minimum requirement for protein set by USDA is 8 grams, although these alternatives are fortified to be equivalent to dairy milk in every other nutrient category). Previously, many schools were offering an alternative beverage that was not equivalent to dairy milk (e.g., juice or water), but the USDA clarified its interpretation of the statute in 2008 regulations, directing that schools may only provide a substitute that is nutritionally equivalent. As a result, many children who are lactose intolerant or who do not drink milk for other reasons are provided no beverage at all with their reimbursable meal.
• The Healthy School Meals Act would make a dairy milk alternative available to students who request one for any reason, including lactose intolerance, religious or ethical reasons, or other dietary preference. The act would remove the requirement that students provide a note from a doctor or parent to request a dairy milk alternative, and it would also remove the burden on school districts to report to the state when they provide alternatives. By changing the nutritional requirement to make currently available nondairy milks eligible for reimbursement, the act would allow schools to purchase substitutes more easily. And by directing USDA to offer nondairy milk through the commodities program, the bill significantly lowers the cost for schools providing such a substitute.
• Schools would also be permitted to offer nondairy substitutes to all students as part of the reimbursable meals, if they chose to do so, in the same way that they may provide flavored dairy milk as an option on the lunch line.

Who supports the Healthy School Meals Act?

• The Public: More than 120,000 individuals from all 50 states have signed a petition calling on Congress to help schools provide vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, vegetarian foods, and healthful nondairy beverages in school meal programs.
• Doctors and Health Care Providers: The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a national nonprofit organization representing 8,000 physician members and more than 100,000 lay members. More than 100 hospitals and health care providers also support this effort, and more than 200 doctors have signed letters in support of healthy school meals.
• States: California, Florida, Hawaii, and New York have passed resolutions supporting healthful plant-based options for school lunches. Similar resolutions are pending in a number of other states, including Georgia, Iowa, and Ohio.

Source: http://www.healthyschoollunches.org/legislative/hsma_faq.cfm

From the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

What's Currently Required?

An array of federal, state, and local policies and regulations govern water availability in schools.  Recent legislation created a federal requirement that free drinking water be available to students during school meals.  Some states might also have their own policies.  In September 2010, California passed legislation, SB 1413 (Leno), to require that free, fresh drinking water be available where meals are served or eaten.  Massachusetts has enacted similar legislation and other cities and localities might have similar requirements.
Other local and state policies can also broadly influence access to water in school buildings, but these are generally not specific to availability during meals or in the areas where meals are served or eaten.  In addition, state and local policies can govern water safety and water testing.
Because policies to require water availability with school meals are relatively recent, many schools are probably not currently in compliance.  Some schools might have existing local policies or rules, perhaps stemming from local school wellness policies, that require water to be available during meals.  For more on wellness policies, click here.
What follows is a summary of the current policies related to water access and availability in schools.

Federal

Nationally, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) sets the rules for the federally-funded National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP).  In December 2010, Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which included a requirement that free drinking water be made available during school meals.  No other federal regulations govern the availability of water on school campuses.  In April 2011, USDA released guidance to implement this requirement.  This guidance explained that schools ought to be in compliance by the 2011-2 school year.  Additionally, the USDA will issue formal rules on water in schools when it initiates its rulemaking process for competitive foods sold on school campuses.  This proposed rule should be published by the end of 2011 and there will be an opportunity for public comment.  We will update this website when the rule is published, so please stay tuned to our site.
Currently, federal rules also govern what is sold on school campuses outside of the school meal.  USDA has created a classification of so-called "Foods of Minimal Nutritional Value" (FMNV) which include a limited range of foods and drinks, such as soda water, water ices, gum, and hard candies.  Schools cannot sell these FMNV during the school day.  This means that vending machines, "a la carte" lines, and other sources of "competitive foods" can sell a range of sugar-sweetened beverages including sodas, sports drinks, fruit drinks with added sweeteners, as well as 100% juice and bottled water.  For definitions of some of these terms, see our glossary.
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act strengthens these competitive food standards, and the proposed standards will be published along with the rule on water in schools, as described above.

State

The state also has a role in water availability on a school campus.  State policy is relevant in at least two ways: through state-level school meal regulations and through state-level requirements for school water infrastructure.
States can create stronger requirements around school meals than the federal government.  For example, California has set stronger nutrition requirements on competitive school foods and beverages than is required by federal law.  In California, students can no longer buy soda and most other sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) on school campus. (Sports drinks are only available in high schools.)  Otherwise, vending machines can only sell 100% juice, milk, and bottled water.  You can learn more about your state’s school nutrition requirements by visiting the website for the administering agency.  In most states, this is the Department of Education or, in some cases, the Department of Agriculture.
For more information about California, go to: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/sn/
States can choose to create a stronger requirement than the federal one for water availability in schools.  For example, a state could choose to expand the area where water must be served or expand availability for the length of the school day.  However, states cannot choose to weaken the federal requirement.
Many states also have rules governing water availability in school buildings.  For example, in California, state plumbing code requires one water fountain per 150 people on school campus.  However, in 1999, this ratio was also found to be inadequate by the Superintendent of Public Instruction but no action has been taken to remedy this issue.  Moreover, water fountains are often in poor repair and may not be sufficient to adequately hydrate a thirsty student.  To promote water consumption in schools, states can reform plumbing code to ensure greater access to water on campus.

Local

Local action will be vital to ensuring that kids have easy access to water instead of sugary drinks at school.  Given the budget problems facing all schools, it is likely that promoting access to water is not on the top of many lists.  This is why local advocates will be key to successful implementation of new water requirements.
Federal law requires all schools to have a local school wellness policy.  To date, these wellness policies have been implemented and enforced to varying degrees of success around the country.  The federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 strengthens the wellness policy requirement by including provisions intended to ensure public input and transparency during the formulation of these policies as well as to ensure implementation and monitor compliance.  USDA will publish an implementation memo on this in the Spring of 2011 and propose rules in the Fall of 2011.  These changes provide a great opportunity for local advocates to re-engage with the wellness policies and wellness committees established at schools, as well as to ensure that language is included around water access and availability.
Individual schools or school districts can also take the initiative on their own to experiment with innovative ways of getting water to thirsty kids.  You can work with your local school’s wellness committee, through your site council or the PTA to get things going in your own school.  Check out this great resource for working with local wellness policies.
Other possibilities for local action could be working with your county government or city council.  These entities might be able to help with funding or local policy changes to support water consumption.

Source: http://www.waterinschools.org/whatsrequired.shtml