Child nutrition recommendations slated to go into effect by school year 2012-13 include offering fresh fruits and vegetables daily and increasing their portion sizes. Schools will have to cut fat, calories and salt and abandon deep-fat fryers in favor of grilling, steaming and baking. New standards also limit the amount of breads and pastas served.
With childhood obesity and diabetes on the rise, no one disagrees teaching children from a young age to eat healthier is a good idea.
But with school nutrition reforms being pushed by first lady Michelle Obama and only an extra 6 cents per meal to do it with, the question on local child nutrition directors” minds is ”How can we afford it?”
“I don”t see how you can implement all these changes with a 6 cents increase on your (U.S. Department of Agriculture) reimbursement rates and even come close. It”s a lot of mandates for a little bit of money,” said Beverly Lowry, director of child nutrition for Starkville School District.
“The cost will be extremely higher,” said Betty Clinton, director of child nutrition for Lowndes County schools. “Based on these new rules, it will financially impact the child nutrition department.”
New mandates, passed by Congress at the end of 2010, include incorporating more green, leafy vegetables, fruit and whole grains. Things districts now consider a serving of fruit, such as fruit juice bars, will no longer count.
“It will be some major changes, because they are focusing on lower salt for different grade groups and higher fruits and vegetables for all schools,” Clinton explained. “They”re capping all cafeterias to lower the calorie count.”
Fruit and vegetable servings will increase from three-eighths cup in elementary school to one-half cup and from half a cup in secondary school to three-fourths to an entire cup, explained Clinton, who noted fruits and vegetables are both costly and perish quickly.
Years ago, Mississippi revamped its nutrition and exercise requirements, trying to fight childhood obesity. The new national standards build on changes already made in the state, adding stricter calorie counts and more rigid standards on daily offerings.
“It looks like Mississippi has already implemented a lot of this,” Lowry said. “The meal pattern is what”s going to change the most.
The government can”t regulate what foods are offered in children”s homes, “but they can regulate us,” Clinton noted.
“This will force the schools do what we need to do to cut back on childhood obesity,” she said. “They can”t make the parents do it.”
But Clinton said proponents of the plan hope the dietary changes at school will bleed into children”s homes, influencing the way their parents cook and buy groceries.
Still, she said, for local districts, cost is a major concern.
“The USDA will have to find some way to increase the amount they offer local school districts,” she said.
“Six cents won”t buy you a whole lot,” Lowry said.
Food services is a not-for-profit venture for public schools and costs districts, even with paid lunches and USDA reimbursements. The majority of students in Starkville and Lowndes County districts receive free or reduced lunch.
It”s too early to tell whether or not the price of school lunch will increase, as a result of the new standards, Clinton and Lowry said.
In Lowndes County, students pay $2.50 for lunch at full price and 40 cents at reduced price.
In Starkville, students pay $2 for in grades two-five and $2.10 in grades six-12 for lunch at full price and 40 cents at reduced price.
The new regulations are out for public review and so could be revised before they are fully implemented.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.