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Obama Brings Up a New Side of School Lunch: Student Taste
Posted on Mon, August 24, 2009 by Jerusha Klemperer
8 Comments | Categories: Farms and Farming, Food Justice, News, Current Events, Policy, School Food,
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by Debbie Lehmann
Deborah Lehmann is an editor of School Lunch Talk, a blog about school food. She is currently studying economics and public policy at Brown University.
President Obama has been talking about school lunch a lot lately, but last week he touched on a new side of the issue. In response to a question about healthy eating at a forum on health care, Obama brought up what I see as one of the biggest obstacles to improving cafeteria fare: the unfortunate reality that what kids like is not always what’s best for them.
Here’s what Obama said at the forum:
Because sometimes you go into schools and — you know what the menu is, you know? It’s French fries, Tater Tots, hot dogs, pizza and — now, that’s what kids — let’s face it, that’s what kids want to eat, anyway. (Laughter.) So it’s not just the schools’ fault.
That’s absolutely right — it’s not just the school’s fault. School meal programs are stand-alone businesses within school districts, and they need students to come in and buy the food they offer so that they can break even at the end of the year. In fact, you can think of school cafeterias as restaurants on school grounds (restaurants that, admittedly, have to meet federal requirements and submit huge piles of paperwork to the USDA). Without student sales, cafeterias go out of business. School lunches would be great if all kids loved carrots and spinach. But the reality is that kids like pizza and hotdogs, and school lunchrooms are responsible for pleasing their customers.
If we want to overhaul school food in America, we’re going to have to change that. It’s a change that makes obvious sense when you look at the cafeteria as a part of the school environment. Look around the rest of campus and you’ll see that the lunchroom is the only place where we give kids what they want. English teachers assign the books on the curriculum, not the books kids ask to read. Math teachers cover fractions and multiplication, even though students would probably rather be playing video games than completing worksheets.
Classrooms can function like that because they’re not businesses. Teachers are not responsible for catering to their customers because they don’t have customers. They have students. If we’re serious about dietary reform and health reform, it’s time to translate that to the cafeteria as well.
Member Comments
From Rany on Wed, August 26, 2009
School meal programs within school districts are at fault and should be accountable for their decision making for the choices for school lunches. Children are very impressionable and need nurturing from us to lead them on to a path of healthier and nutritious “Real Food.” Unfortunately my school district still does not get it… I for one will still carrying on being persistent.. hopefully one day they’ll wake up!
From Edwina on Sat, August 29, 2009
Nurturing starts at home! If parents incorporate healthier and more nutritious choices into their menus at home (these should be affective as our children get more meals during their time at home than at school) than children would be more receptive to healthier alternatives in the school cafeteria. Feeding our children healthier foods will soon become a habit and you will find that the “french fries, hot dogs, tater tots and pizza”, will soon become less appealing to them. Having made healthier changes in feeding our children at home will soon drive cafeteria sales down and slow sales and demand for healthier foods in the school cafeteria’s will force the needed changes in order bring the sales back up. A course in health and nutrition for all schools age children would be healthful as well. Lets talk to our children about all aspects of being healthy!
Respectfully,
Cincygranny
From Rany on Mon, August 31, 2009
I totally 100% agree nutrition - healthier approach to all meal times “should start at home,” and through this embracement of nurturing and educating our children for a safer approach to food, that we stand here wondering.. what are the schools doing???
People with a conscience for safe eating practices are the ones who are making the rest of the world more aware of the mishandling to our food system. If a school or any establishment are quick to take lunch money from the “small hands of our children,” they in turn should have a moral obligation to provide “safe, no GMO contaminated foods, no antibiotic and no growth hormone infested food” to our children!! This anti “REAL” food behavior is outrageous.
In my personal opinion many schools are also a contributor to the widespread of obesity and diabetes, just by serving all of the foods mentioned as above with the addition of unhealthy dosages of the hydrogenated fats, high fructose corns syrup etc.. after all they are supposed to be well educated themselves.
At my school district there is a full time nutritionist, how can a nutritionist feel she is justifying her position by simply placing the calorie counts on a menu for each day to confirm Mon: 1,400 cals, Tuesday 1,200 cals.
The food is all processed even if & when fruit is available it comes in a cellophane bag. Offering calorie counts next to the menus is senseless; the information that should be visible is the: type of fats, sweeteners, soy and so forth.. That is avoiding the hidden truth to their food and a total disconnection to our food system.
What about the children who have no option but what to consume what is given to them.. - they are the ones my heart goes out to: So.. so sad… You can disagree with me but really.. I’m a parent who cares what my children consume & if i can help make the difference to our food system for our children and future generations to come: I Do.
Respectfully
Rany
From One touch glucometer on Fri, September 18, 2009
Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic. If possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more information?
From Rany on Fri, September 18, 2009
HiOne touch glucometer
If you are referring to me: i cant taking the credit for the person that started the initial bog/ comment: Debbie Lehmann.
On a personal level i am finding myself heavily involved in educating children about “real Food.” In my personal opinion there is a great distinction between staying away from trans fats, consuming more fruit and vegetables for the sake of it.
Particular fats which have been down trodden by numerous health scares are the same fats which are now evolving back in to our lives simply because they are not “chemically created.” Our digestive system can accept natural and “wholesome,” our bodies were never equipped to tolerate chemicals.
In my opinion thats why there are so many more health problem such as allergies, cancers and so forth..
I mentioned fruits and vegetable: They are great: however same issue and concerns - All fruits and vegetables should be naturally organic peroid! and not keeping companies such as Monsanto in business. Who made them god?? A company that initially supplied weed killer and then went in to the food industry to spray our food with their toxins to also start gene manipulation of food our system. That’s Just not right.
I am bringing out a foodie book which is targeted to children; Will be an eye opener for many.
Thanks Rany
From anna on Sat, October 10, 2009
The widespread sale of these foods in supermarkets, even petrol kiosks, and 24 hour convenience stores are also largely to blame for the sad state of our children’s diet today.
From first aid mistakes on Sat, October 10, 2009
I mean that her back end is taller than her front end. Will this cause any health problems in the future for her?
first aid mistakes
From Rany on Sat, October 10, 2009
Anna in my opinion: Once upon a time- supermarkets, grocery store, kiosks & us all just accepted the food from the manufacturers assuming that it was safe, we did not imagine or thought that we aught to be concerned about pesticides and all the ramifications of genetic engineering: who would have thought??? Movements such as Slow Food and various television programs both from Europe & USA have placed not just emphasis but awareness of proper real food in to our food system but we can learn, research, observe and spread the knowledge.
Rany
