''2 thumbs up for LBI food''
''While some students look down on food served in school cafeterias, Zoe Deakyne, a sixth-grader at Long Beach Island Elementary School, enjoys getting her lunch there.''
More infoJunk food may soon be hard to buy at American public schools as the U.S. government readies new rules requiring healthier foods to be sold beyond the cafeteria - a move most parents support, according to a poll released on Thursday.
With childhood obesity rising, the survey found most people agreed the chips, soda and candy bars students buy from vending machines or school stores in addition to breakfast and lunch are not nutritious, and they support a national standard for foods sold at schools.
The findings from the advocacy group Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project came as the federal government prepares to roll out a nationwide standard that may set up another battle among health experts, schools and the food industry.
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Jessica Donze Black, a dietician who leads the Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project, said the results show growing support for updating standards that surfaced in 1979.
'What has changed in the last 30 years is that the childhood obesity epidemic has more than tripled,' she said. 'The school environment has also changed. ... Today, there are a lot of other places throughout the day that compete with kids eating a healthy school meal.'
The Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project is a joint venture by the nonprofit policy group The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a private organization that aims to improve Americans' health."
''While some students look down on food served in school cafeterias, Zoe Deakyne, a sixth-grader at Long Beach Island Elementary School, enjoys getting her lunch there.''
More info"New items such as curried chicken with raisins and apples and broccoli alfredo are part of the City School District’s effort to upgrade its school meal offerings, focusing on foods that are fresh, local and healthy, rather than the old school method of quick and easy."
More infoAs we approach the beginning of summer, it is important to realize that students in the Fargo area aren’t just consuming knowledge in the classroom during the school year – they’re also consuming calories from school meals and snacks. In fact, many students consume up to half of their daily calories at school. As summer sets in and meals become less structured, it is important to instill healthy eating habits that the students can carry with them long after the final bell rings.
More info"Randolph County's school nutrition director will be honored in July in Kansas City, Mo. for her extraordinary commitment to the school meal programs."
More info"One year on, the Yolo County Department of Agriculture says it is happy with the results of its school lunch program, Farm to School Yolo."
More info"Make it a temporary rule, says Jessica Donze Black, director of the Pew Health Group's Kids' Safe & Healthful Foods Project, but just make it by June 30 and adjust it after schools have a chance to see how things work out."
More infoThe Boise School District announced that eleven schools within the district have been selected to receive grant money for fruit and vegetables from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
More info"Imagine this: You are a 15 year-old standing in front of a school vending machine, getting ready to satisfy the snack craving you've had since first period. But lo and behold, instead of cookies and chips, every one of the slots behind the glass contains the same healthy stuff your mom and dad fill the cabinets with at home."
More info"All over the region, little pockets of activity are coalescing into a collaborative Food Revolution a la Jamie Oliver, the British chef who champions healthier food in schools and elsewhere. Last fall at the One Young World conference held here, he challenged Pittsburgh to revamp its eating habits -- and Pittsburgh's delegates took him seriously."
More info"With childhood obesity — and other health issues and nutrition requirements — increasing in schools, Williamsburg-James City County is focusing on providing nutritious meals to students."
More info"Representatives from National Food Group handed out samples of what could be on next year’s menu. Students sampled beef barbacoa with roasted vegetables, whole grain cheese ravioli with chunky marinara sauce and baked cod filet. Other items were cranberry oatmeal bars and breakfast items oatmeal chocolate vertical bars and berry apple crisp vertical bar."
More info"The Pew Charitable Trust recently issued a statement recognizing this as a significant step to help children nationwide. The School Food Modernization Act would help schools improve their meal programs in two ways. One part of the legislation would authorize a USDA competitive grant program through which schools could obtain training and technical assistance for foodservice employees."
More infoJessica Donze Black, director of the Pew Kids' Safe & Healthful Foods Project, speaks with Education Week about a bipartisan bill that would provide money for school kitchen upgrades.
More infoJessica Donze Black, project director for Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project, is featured in Time magazine article about healthy school lunches.
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