NJ Schools Ahead of the Curve on School Lunch Guidelines

Editor's note: Ms. Kimble-Ellis's article below is very interesting, particularly in light of Lauren Bright Pacheco's recent story on the school district and student weight measurement. Read Ms. Bright Pacheco's story .

“I think we’ve been meeting a lot of the standards for a long time,” says Cynthia Ven Graitis, a first grade teacher at Tuscan Middle School. “Pat Johnson, our district food director, did away with fried foods and other things some time ago.”

That means that the South Orange/Maplewood school district is right in line with a Jan. 13 announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The agency announced the first new school lunch guidelines in 15 years. The proposal, which is based on a 2009 study by the Institute of Medicine, means healthier meals will be served in school cafeterias nationwide.

For the first time, all schools will be required to set a maximum calorie count per meal. They’ll also be required to lower the amount of sugar, sodium and saturated fats. Yes, that means fewer French fries, pizza and hot dogs. The proposal would also mean that all milk served to students should be low fat. Lunches will have to contain more fruits, vegetables and whole grains on a daily basis.

“It’s a pretty healthy population, here and in some of the other districts,” says Ven Graitis. “I think most of the kids eat pretty healthy at home, so that carries over into school. The kids are getting used to having baked foods and vegetables.”

The PTA, she adds, has also worked on introducing fruits and vegetables by donating them to the school. In addition, Tuscan hosts a Farmer’s Market twice a year for their students. “If the weather’s nice, the kids can go out and choose whatever fruits or vegetables they want.”

New Jersey, as a whole, has been doing its part as early as January of 2006. It was during that time that the State’s Department of Agriculture began enforcing its New Jersey School/Nutrition Wellness Policy. The policy addressed many of the recent USDA proposals, requiring that schools reduce the purchase of foods containing trans and saturated fat. For elementary schools, 100% of all beverages served had to be milk, 100% fruit or vegetable juice, or water. In middle and high schools, 60% of all beverages served had to meet those requirements.

“Kids don’t seem to have a problem with this,” shares Ven Graitis. “When I’ve offered kids soda at a party we’ve had in the past, more than half the kids turned it down.”

The USDA meal requirements are a result of a proposal to update the nutrition standards for cafeteria meals provided through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs.  It is part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 13, 2010.

The bill and the USDA guidelines directly address the rise in childhood obesity rates over the past few years. According to a government report, nearly 32% of children between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight.

“Most of the schools in the area have two fifty-minute periods per week for physical education,” says Ven Graitis. “Kids go outside as often as possible. So many schools are addressing that problem.”

If put in place, the new school lunch guidelines will affect nearly 32 million children who eat in government-subsidized cafeterias across the country. Although in the proposal stages now, the USDA will be requesting input from the public until April 13, 2011. After elements of the proposal are complete and made into law, it could take a few years before all schools are officially required to make the changes.