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November 27, 2007
Carrots or chocolate? Not what you thinkBurgers or broccoli? Tater tots or tangerines? Pizza or parsnips? When it comes to school lunch, students seem to gravitate to the less healthy options. Or do they? A new study out of the University of Minnesota suggests that students are willing to eat the healthier alternatives being offered at schools.
In fact, "school lunch sales don't decline when healthier meals are served, and that more nutritious lunches don't necessarily cost schools more to produce." And that sure is good news for school districts looking for healthier options for kids.
The study, which appears in the December issue of the Review of Agricultural Economics, analyzed five years of data for 330 Minnesota public school districts. It looked at compliance with federal standards for calories, nutrients and fats.When the researchers crunched all the numbers they found that schools serving the healthiest lunches did not see a falloff in demand.
While serving better meals does entail higher labor costs, the study found, that's offset by lower costs for more nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables compared with processed foods. However, many districts need to upgrade their kitchens and train their staff to prepare these foods, the researchers said.
The study's conclusions rang true for Jean Ronnei, director of nutrition services for St. Paul Public Schools, which serves more than 46,000 meals daily. The district was held up by the authors as a model for others.
Ronnei said the percentage of St. Paul kids eating school lunches has increased in recent years at the same time the district has been offering more fruits and vegetables.
"That doesn't mean we don't have a hot dog on our menu. We do... In our case it's a turkey low-fat hot dog," she said.
It sounds like a step in the right direction to BoardBuzz. What is your district doing to help kids live healthier lives? Leave a comment and tell us about it.
Posted November 27, 2007 3:04 PM | Health & Wellness
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