Kids Cuisine

Every six years, the Center for Disease Control conducts a survey of the status of school nutrition and wellness. Given that legislation passed in 2004 mandated the development and activation of nutrition and wellness programs in every school by the year 2006, it’s not a surprise that some improvements were made.

According to the survey, called the School Health Policies and Programs Study, 30 percent of school districts have banned junk foods from vending machines, a significant increase from the four percent in 2000. Other improvements were made in the a la carte selections with the offering of salads and vegetables other than potatoes up nearly 20 percent.
Lunch programs serving fried potatoes are on the decrease as well, down 21 percent from six years ago. The sale of high-fat items from bake sales and fund raisers also showed nearly 13 percent decline. School districts that prohibited the use of food or food coupons as rewards also increased by nearly 15 percent.
Even with this notable progress, physical education programs still have a long way to go. Only fourteen percent of all schools, elementary to high school level, have physical education as daily curriculum. Twenty percent of schools required no physical education at all. Worse, fast foods such as Pizza Hut and Taco Bell are still available even at the elementary school level for 12 percent of these schools. The percentage increases with the age level to 19 percent for middle schools and 24 percent of high schools.

Even where fast food is not available, lunch items often still mirror fast food selections. In a recent informal and limited survey of just a handful of parents, school menu items still included main course items like; Nacho Chips with Cheese and Beans, Pancake Sausage on a Stick, Chicken Nuggets, Wrapped Cheese Dog, Hot Dog Tacos, and one menu where Bacon was the primary protein served with Cinnamon Roll and Hash Browns.

Healthy choices from a few schools included salad bars and veggie burgers. Not so surprisingly, these menus hailed from two of our nation’s “thinner” states, California and Colorado. The most enticing menus submitted were from Europe and the UK, including such things as Lamb and Vegetable Tagine and Carrot Soup along with fresh fruit and cheese courses for preschoolers.

Here in the states, we’re definitely lagging and hung up in the whole “Kid Food Myth,” but the progress is a welcome change. It will be interesting to see what happens when the CDC’s survey is repeated in 2012. Meanwhile, I might start looking for our passports!