Philip Brasher reported yesterday at The Des Moines Register Online that, “The government wants kids to eat more fruits and vegetables but doesn’t seem to be putting its money where its advice is.
"For every dollar that the U.S. Department of Agriculture spent buying commodities for school lunches last year, 55 cents went to beef, chicken and cheese vs. about 23 cents for fruits and vegetables.
"Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stumped a group of Iowa business leaders recently by asking them what was the single food item for schools that the USDA spent the most on. His answer: mozzarella cheese."
Mr. Brasher indicated that, "The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation produced a study last year of USDA food-buying practices that was illustrated with two pyramids. One was the traditional USDA food-guide pyramid, which recommends eating more fruits and vegetables than anything else. The other pyramid showed what USDA buys for schools. The pyramids were reversed.
"The dairy industry, it should be no surprise, doesn’t think the USDA is buying too much cheese.
"'Kids need nutrition and mozzarella is a fairly cost-effective, high-nutrition food, and it's one that people, especially kids, like,' said Chris Galen, a spokesman for the National Milk Producers Federation."
The Register article explained that, "Congress is due to update rules for the school lunch program this year, and lawmakers are likely to consider giving schools incentives to buy more fruits and vegetables. But there's unlikely to be much appetite for cutting back on the meat and cheese.
"'What’s caused the obesity epidemic is not the school lunches and school breakfasts, it's the junk kids get in the a la carte lines and the school stores and the vending machines,' said Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin, the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee."
Jane Black reported in today’s Washington Post that, "It didn't seem like a radical idea at the time. First, Ginger Gray, the food service director for Kenton County, Ky., schools, took away fried potato chips, offering students baked versions instead. Next, she phased out fruit drinks such as Kool-Aid in favor of 100 percent juices. She considered serving baked french fries. But they got soggy and unappetizing fast. And there's one thing that every school food service director knows: You don’t mess with the fries.
"It was a calculated effort to encourage students to eat more healthfully. A registered dietician, Gray believes her job isn't just to feed students but also to teach good eating habits.
"But there was a risk. The salty snacks and sugary drinks, sold in cafeteria a la carte lines and vending machines, were reliable moneymakers for the 17 schools in Gray's district, where one-third of students eat federally subsidized lunches.
"But a funny thing happened. When the numbers came in, Gray found she was making more money, not less. With fewer junk foods available, more students opted for the traditional lunch line, where Gray offers items such as salads, submarine sandwiches and make-your-own tacos. At Simon Kenton High School, revenue rose 61 percent between 2005 and 2007 without a price increase for school meals."
