At long last the USDA released Interim Final Rules for competitive foods—the snacks and sodas sold from vending machines and carts outside of federally supported school lunches. They were worth the wait. The new standards are tough and will change the food landscape in schools much for the better. They are summarized in a …
Rebellion in the Heartland Over School Lunch Calorie Reductions
For the first time since it subjected conscientious objectors to severe calorie restrictions during World War II, the federal government is again experimenting with diet restrictions for schoolchildren.
Changes in school lunch programs to get more fruits and vegetables on the menu – and cut the fat and salt – have gained much attention in…
'Porcupine Sliders' Win School Lunch Contest
Porcupine Sliders, turkey burgers jazzed up with brown rice, spinach, celery, garlic spices and dried cranberries, captured the grand prize in First Lady Michelle Obama’s Recipes for Healthy Kids competition.
The Porcupine Sliders were served up by the team from Intermediate District 287, South Education Center Alternative in Richfield, Minn. at the national cook-off held …
USDA Releases First Farm to School Evaluation
Efforts to serve local food in schools are expanding nationwide, but creating a market between small farms and school districts still poses many challenges, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s first report on farm-to-school initiatives.
Over the past year, a team of nine government representatives visited 15 school districts operating farm to school programs …
Students Still Get Too Many Sugary Beverages
Children continue to have easy access at school to sugary sodas and flavored milk, according to a study published Monday in the online Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
The national study by the University of Illinois at Chicago was based on surveys mailed to a representative sample of elementary school administrators over three academic …
School Lunch Film Premiered in DC Screening
In Washington, D.C. school lunch reform advocates are hosting a screening of Lunch Line, a documentary on the history of National School Lunch Program.
Karen Duncan, wife of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and Christie Vilsack, wife of Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, are scheduled to attend the debut for the film, which is …
Making School Food Healthier
Some kids have already started attending classes, and most will be back in school after Labor Day. Many parents may justifiably be wondering about recent efforts to improve the quality of the food served to their children in these schools. According to an Institute of Medicine Report released in October 2009, school-age children eat too…
House to Hold Hearing on School Nutrition Bill
UPDATED — The House Education and Labor Committee has announced it will hold its first hearing on the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act, an $8 billion bill to fund federal nutrition programs, next Thursday.
The legislation was introduced earlier this month by committee chairman George Miller (D-CA), celebrity chef Rachael Ray, and a …
School Lunches Could Threaten Security
A group of retired military officers yesterday cited school lunches as a threat to America’s national security.
Mission: Readiness, as the group is called, appeared yesterday on Capitol Hill with Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind) and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack touting a report that says fatty school lunches make children so obese that future military recruitment…
USDA to Award School Food Safety Grant
As part of its initiative to improve school lunch safety, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting grant applications from universities to establish a center of excellence for school food safety research. The agency will grant one award of $800,000 for FY 2010 to establish the research center.
The center’s mission will be “to …