School lunches scare me!

I've been working in public schools for about 4 years and I see what kids are served for lunch every day. It truly scares me. I see some modest efforts to promote good food with the limited resources a public school is given. Salad bar options are available and some featured menu items approach what some nutritionists might consider to be a healthy part of a child's meal. Unfortunately, what I see kids eating for lunch most of the time are hamburgers, chicken nuggets, or pizza and always with a chocolate milk.

On any given day, your average 7 to 17 year-old who relies on the school for breakfast and lunch will consume a pre-packaged waffle soaked in syrup, a carton of apple juice, a slice of pepperoni pizza, and a chocolate milk. Also, on any given day someone may be having a birthday and brought everyone a Safeway cupcake, or it may be the week after Halloween, Valentine's Day, Easter, or any other average day when someone stole a box of smarties and passes them out to everyone in their class. Simply, that is WAY TOO MANY CALORIES for a growing, learning student to consume during school.


I was really inspired by the show "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution which chronicled the battle between school administrations and Jamie's mission to change the way kids eat through education.


As teachers, as parents, as community members, we should be outraged. Right now, congress is trying to block current proposals that would improve the health of millions of American children. These proposals would limit sodium, decrease starches like potatoes, increase whole grains, and stop calling tomato paste on pizza a whole vegetable. These are based on the 2009 recommendations by the Institute of Medicine, the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences. Congressional members are arguing that it will cost too much, the kids won't eat healthier food, and that government shouldn't tell kids what to eat. Well, I'm outraged! So Congress, are kids supposed to figure out nutrition on their own?

26 grams of sugar

26 grams of sugar

How can Little Johnny learn about nutrition when most of his friends at the lunch table are scarfing down the cheese and pepperoni from their pizza, leaving the 'vegetable' tomato paste and processed white flour crust on the styrofoam tray, chasing it down with a chocolate milk containing 26 grams of sugar, chomping on the frosting end of a cupcake when it's someone's birthday, all in 15 minutes because the next group has to get in to the cafeteria and Johnny has to go run around at recess. Seriously, I'm surprised that I don't see more barf on the playground.

I also see a lot of unhealthy kids who don't know the first thing about nutrition. Children need to learn that there is a profound connection between what they eat and their health. Any good educator knows that students don't stop learning when they leave the classroom, they're learning all the time. Why should we stop teaching our kids during lunchtime?

Congress has an opportunity to make positive changes to the school lunch program, but as usual, lobbyists are buying congressional representatives. I know my congressman, his name is Earl Blumenauer and his phone number is 202-225-4811. Click here for your representative's information. I'm going to tell Mr. Blumenauer something like this:

“It’s a shame that Congress seems more interested in protecting industry than protecting children’s health,” said Margo G. Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit research group. “At a time when child nutrition and childhood obesity are national health concerns, Congress should be supporting U.S.D.A. and school efforts to serve healthier school meals, not undermining them.”

Do something! Our kids need us to act on this issue now!

Thank you.
Tony Pernice