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Is the NSLP providing our
children with healthy lunches?
As our children’s health problems have overwhelmingly shifted from malnutrition
caused by a shortage of food to malnutrition due to excess consumption of high-fat,
high-calorie, nutrient-poor foods, this question becomes exceedingly important.
In order to counter this alarming trend, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) must
refine the goals of the National School Lunch Program from simply serving meals to hungry
children to providing nutritious lunches, and the food service administrators must improve
the delivery of the program to promote healthy eating by children.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a nonprofit organization that
promotes preventive medicine through healthy nutrition and has led the way for reforms of
federal nutrition policies, has reviewed the NSLP on the basis of how well the program
promotes healthy eating habits. In August 2001, PCRM nutritionists interviewed
elementary school food service coordinators from 12 school districts (See Table A),
including some of the largest and smallest districts in each region of the country, and
discussed the state of school lunches in each district.
We asked food service coordinators the following questions:
· Are schools meeting the USDA guidelines for
nutritional quality?
· What commodity foods do schools most commonly
utilize?
· What efforts are schools making to lower the
fat content of meals served?
· Are calcium-rich, non-dairy foods
available through the school lunch program?
· Are vegetarian meals available through
the school lunch program?
Here is a brief summary of the key findings:
Meeting USDA Guidelines
The NSLP is a federally assisted meal program operating in more than 97,700 public and
nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. Schools that
choose to take part in the lunch program receive cash subsidies, donated commodities, and
free bonus shipments from the USDA for each meal served. In return, they must serve
lunches that meet
federal requirements for nutrition, as well as offer free or reduced-price lunches to
eligible children.
In order to receive reimbursement, each school is expected to meet requirements set by the
USDA in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, including the limits that no more than 30
percent of calories in a meal may come from fat and no more than 10 percent of calories
from saturated fat. In addition, school lunches must provide one-third of the
Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) for protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, and
calories. Many doctors and nutritionists argue that these guidelines fall short of
what is needed to plan truly healthy meals for children. Nonetheless, we evaluated
the NSLP on its ability to at least meet these minimum requirements.
When PCRM nutritionists asked school food service coordinators if they were able to meet
the USDA’s requirements for nutritional quality, 75 percent (9 out of the 12
surveyed) said they had no problem meeting them and cited as evidence either computer
analyses of their menus using a nutrient-based system or compliance with a food-based
system. The other three school districts (25 percent) said they either did not know
if they were meeting the guidelines, or did not care.
In PCRM’s survey, school districts generally did not express major concerns with the
USDA’s requirements. Those districts that had not met the requirements were not
concerned that they risked losing reimbursements. Since there is no real incentive
for directors to meet the guidelines, some schools continue to serve foods that the food
service staffs think are more likely to be eaten, such as french fries and
hamburgers.
Utilizing “Commodity” Foods
The commodity system was designed with the dual purpose of providing food at low or no
cost to public schools, while, at the same time, guaranteeing a market for agricultural
products.
When surveying large and small public school districts across the country, PCRM found that
approximately 30 percent of the foods served in schools come from the commodities
program. The five most commonly served commodity foods were ground beef, breaded
chicken (nuggets or patties), cheese, canned fruit, and flour. Three out of five of
these foods are high in fat and cholesterol.
While the USDA supports the farmers who produce healthy fruits, vegetables, and grains, it
is also responsible for protecting the markets for meat and dairy products.
Therefore, school children are left with the surplus high-fat meats, whole milk,
cheeses, and butter that consumers are not purchasing. Of the 111 foods on the list
of USDA commodity foods expected to be available in School Fiscal Year 2002, only 5 are
fresh fruits and vegetables, with the only fresh vegetable being white
potatoes. Anamoose Public School District in North Dakota explained that, because it
wants to serve healthy foods to local children, it has to use a large portion of its food
budget to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables not offered in the commodity foods list.
Efforts to Lower Fat
Research has shown that many health problems, particularly heart disease, some forms of
cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and others, are caused to a great degree by diets
high in fatty foods and low in fiber-rich foods. Many of these conditions have their
roots in childhood. Weight problems are worsening among U.S. children and
contributing to many
difficulties later in life. By the time they have reached the end of their teen
years, 90 percent already have clear evidence of atherosclerosis.
For these reasons, the USDA mandates that school lunches contain no more than 30 percent
of calories from fat and less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat.
Of the school districts surveyed, 10 out of 12 are making an effort to reduce the fat in
their meals, but 4 (33 percent) said that it’s difficult to meet the low-fat and
saturated-fat standards. Two school districts (17 percent) reported they are not
even trying. One director in a Virginia public school that still uses a deep-fat
fryer explained, “The kids like [foods] better when they’re fried. And I’d
rather have them eat than not eat.”
When asked what methods were employed to lower the fat content of the meals, food service
coordinators cited the following:
· Four school districts indicated that they
never fried, but grilled and baked instead.
· Five school districts switched to low-fat
dressings, leaner beef, and/or lower-fat yogurt.
· Two school districts rinsed, drained, or
blotted pizza and burgers.
· One school district replaced 25 to 30 percent
of meat dishes with textured vegetable protein.
Although changing cooking methods, choosing leaner products, and removing excess oil help
slightly to reduce excess fat and saturated fat in foods, the surprising finding is that
only one of the food service directors was substituting lower fat, cholesterol-free
protein from plant sources to lower fat in the menus, a choice that would not only reduce
the fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol in the menu, but would also incorporate more
nutrient-dense, cholesterol-free, and naturally low-fat plant foods. Children who
grow up getting their nutrition from plant foods have a tremendous advantage in that they
are much less
likely to develop health problems as the years go by.
Availability of Calcium-Rich, Non-Dairy Foods
Cow’s milk is now commonly cited by many researchers and doctors as a potential
factor in a variety of health problems. For one, research shows that milk
consumption can impair a child’s ability to absorb iron and, in very small children,
can even cause subtle blood loss from the digestive tract. Combined with the fact
that milk has virtually no iron of its own, the result is an increased risk of iron
deficiency. Also, the American Academy of Pediatrics has concluded that milk
proteins may contribute to childhood-onset diabetes. Some children have
sensitivities to milk proteins that show up as respiratory problems, chronic ear
infections, or skin conditions.
The most prevalent problem with drinking cow’s milk, especially among children of
Asian, Hispanic, Native American, and African descent, is lactose intolerance caused by
the loss of the ability to digest the milk sugar lactose. Lactose-intolerant children
suffer a variety of symptoms from the ingestion of cow’s milk and other dairy
products, including gas, bloating, pain,
diarrhea or constipation, and indigestion.
Many plant sources of calcium—such as broccoli, kale, collard greens, beans, and
calcium-fortified orange juice, cereals, and soymilk—are not only rich in highly
available calcium, but are high in other vitamins and minerals and are free of cholesterol
and
saturated fat.
For these reasons, PCRM asked the school districts whether they offered calcium-rich,
non-dairy foods for those children who do not tolerate milk well or who avoid it for
health reasons. Six out of the 12 school districts surveyed said that children must
take cow’s milk, unless they had a note from a doctor or parent. If a child has
a note from the doctor indicating he or she is lactose intolerant and unable to digest
milk or has a note from a parent saying that the child will not drink milk for religious
or ethical reasons, the child may take fruit juice as a replacement. Juice, while
rich in vitamin C, is not high in calcium unless fortified. Calcium-fortified soy or
rice milk was not offered in any of the school districts surveyed. Only one surveyed
school district offered high-calcium vegetables such as kale and collards. This was
in the rural Hancock, Mississippi, district of approximately 4,000, where children were
said to love turnip greens and broccoli.
AVAILABILITY OF VEGETARIAN ENTRÉES
On the whole, diets in the United States are too high in fat,
cholesterol, sodium, and highly processed foods, and, consequently, too low in fiber,
complex carbohydrates, and disease-preventing vitamins and minerals. These missing
nutrients are the very ones found in abundant quantities in plant foods. Diets built
from grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes are easy to prepare, inexpensive, satisfying
to children, and offer the most disease-fighting protection of any dietary pattern.
Childhood is the time when dietary habits are established—habits that exert a
life-long effect. Introducing vegetarian foods in the early years of life gives
children the chance to learn to enjoy a variety of nutritious foods. A diet built
from fruits, vegetables,
grains, and legumes provides excellent nutrition for all stages of childhood, from birth
through adolescence. Vegetarian children tend to stay slimmer and live years longer
than their counterparts.
A varied menu of grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits supplies plenty of protein. With
the approval of Alternate Protein Products (APPs) in the NSLP, schools are now given the
freedom to provide children with meatless, cholesterol-free entrées. Vegetarian burgers
and other alternative protein sources can now replace 100 percent of the animal protein in
the school lunch, provided they meet the APP guidelines.
Health-conscious food service directors incorporate these foods into their menu plans.
However, only 2 of the 12 school districts surveyed incorporated a variety of healthy
vegetarian options into their regular menus (beyond the typical peanut butter and jelly or
grilled cheese sandwich or salad):
The Leverett Elementary School in Massachusetts serves meatless entrées twice a week as
the main selection and has meat alternatives available at every lunch. Included in these
entrées are vegetarian lasagna, spaghetti marinara, taco salad with refried beans,
vegetarian hot dogs, and salads on a daily basis. A Chicago school district offers veggie
burgers to their elementary school clientele. The kids reportedly enjoy these foods,
and there is very little plate waste.
The remaining 10 of the 12 school districts surveyed provide a simple vegetarian option
for an individual child only if requested (peanut butter and jelly sandwich, cheese pizza,
or a salad); only a small proportion of schools have taken the initiative to
incorporate vegetarian options into their meal plans.
Summary
From the findings of this survey, it is clear that the National
School Lunch Program falls short of routinely serving healthy, low-fat, fiber- and
nutrient-rich meals to children. The USDA, school food service directors, school
administrators, school board members, and parents need to work together to upgrade the
menu offerings of the NSLP to promote the health of children in the United States.
_______________________
Table A: School Districts Surveyed
Mid-Atlantic Region
1. New York City Public Schools District: New York, NY
2. Gloucester County
School District: Gloucester County, VA
Midwestern Region
3. City of Chicago School District 29: Chicago, IL
4. Anamoose School
District: Anamoose, ND
Mountain Region
5. Jefferson County R-1
District: Golden, CO
6. Kuna Joint School
District 3: Kuna, ID
New England Region
7. Leverett Public
School District: Leverett, MA
Southern Region
8. Hillsborough County
School District: Tampa, FL
9. Hancock Public School
District: Hancock, MS
Southwestern Region
10. Dallas Independent School District: Dallas, TX
11. San Simon Unified District: San Simon, AZ
Western Region
12. San Diego City Unified District: San Diego, CA
_______________________
Table B: Summary of Key Findings
Meeting USDA Guidelines
· 9 out of 12 school districts said they are meeting the nutrition
guidelines—75 percent
· 3 out of 12 said they are not meeting guidelines, are not sure, or
don’t care—25 percent
Commodity Foods Utilized
· The five most common foods ordered among the 12 school districts
surveyed were:
1. ground beef
2. chicken (either nuggets or patties)
3. cheese
4. canned fruit
5. flour
· Three of these top five foods are high in fat and cholesterol.
Availability of Calcium-Rich, Non-Dairy Foods
1 out of 12 school districts routinely served non-dairy calcium sources (specifically,
they offered calcium-rich
vegetables)—8 percent. 6 out of 12 required a doctor’s note to allow children to
refuse milk—50 percent
Efforts to Lower Fat
· 4 out of 12 school districts said it is
difficult to meet the low fat standard—33 percent
· 2 out of 12 are not making an effort to
reduce fat in the menu—17 percent
10 out of 12 are making an effort to reduce fat in the menu—83 percent 1 out of
12 is lowering fat by replacing meat offerings with vegetable protein sources—8
percent
Methods used to lower fat:
o Four school districts indicated that they never
fried, but grilled and baked instead.
o Five school districts switched to low-fat dressings,
leaner beef, and/or lower-fat yogurt.
o Two school districts rinsed, drained, or blotted
pizza and burgers.
o One school district replaced 25 to 30 percent of
meat dishes with textured vegetable protein.
Availability of Vegetarian Entrées
· 10 out of 12 have something to serve for vegetarian requests (most commonly
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pizza, or grilled cheese sandwich)—83 percent
· 2 out of 12 offer a variety of vegetarian offerings (such as spaghetti marinara,
taco salad with beans, tofu pups, vegetable lasagna)—17 percent |
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