Reading
In the re-authorization of the Child Nutrition Act, the issue of the cost of a school lunch was addressed. right now, if a child qualifies for a free lunch (family of four household income of less than about $30k/annually), the federal govt pays the school $2.72 for that lunch. On the other hand, most schools charge "full price" kids far less. The result is that money intended for a hungry child's lunch may be subsidizing the lunch of kids who can afford to pay. On the other hand, there are lots of kids on Long Island whose families make more than $30,000 a year but might have trouble making ends meet. The law requires schools charging less than the federal reimbursement rate to very gradually increase the cost of lunch. The blog Better DC School Food did a great job reporting on the issue in Tax Breaks for Billionaires, Higher Lunch Prices for Kids.
To my mind, it brings up the whole issue of Janet Poppendeick;s book, Free for All.
The issue of PCBs in schools in the city has been heating up - read the WSJ's reporting here or get more background information here.
Watching
Check out An Apple a Day is Not Enough - A Poem by Taylor Mali in YouTube.
Fun
Happy Holidays. Enjoy the break.
Sara
Sea Cliff Nutrition Committee. The Apple People
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Ways to Support Childhood Nutrition this Holiday Season
If you're thinking of making some year end charitable gifts, we've got some suggestions. We've discussed Long Island's two foods banks beforebut I'd like to mention these groups if you're looking to make a tax-deductible contribution before year-end and want to help nutrition advocates.
The New York Coalition for Healthy School Food
These folks were instrumental in passing a robust Child Ntrutiion Act, are working to fix school food throughout New York, provide nturition education and healthy school unch recipes all on a shoestring. Help them out at their website.
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Also hard at work on the legislation behnd the school lunch program, this group also shines a bright light on the egregious beahvoir of fast food restaurants, works on food safety legislation and published most of the research we used behind the additives that used to be in our school's food. Visit their website. A donation also gets you their Nutrition Action newsletter.
Environmental Working Group
These nice people publish the "dirty dozen" lists of which conventional fruits and vegetables to avoid due to pesticide exposure as well as guides to safe suncreens and other products. Visit their websitefor more information or to make a gift. can For a substantial donation, you get a whole gift bag - dirty dozen bag tag, shopping guide on sunscreen, cookbook, reuseable shopping bags and water bottle, etc. Oh and CHOCOLATE.
I'm sure there are many other worthy groups. Use the comments section to make your recommendations.
Sara
The New York Coalition for Healthy School Food
These folks were instrumental in passing a robust Child Ntrutiion Act, are working to fix school food throughout New York, provide nturition education and healthy school unch recipes all on a shoestring. Help them out at their website.
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Also hard at work on the legislation behnd the school lunch program, this group also shines a bright light on the egregious beahvoir of fast food restaurants, works on food safety legislation and published most of the research we used behind the additives that used to be in our school's food. Visit their website. A donation also gets you their Nutrition Action newsletter.
Environmental Working Group
These nice people publish the "dirty dozen" lists of which conventional fruits and vegetables to avoid due to pesticide exposure as well as guides to safe suncreens and other products. Visit their websitefor more information or to make a gift. can For a substantial donation, you get a whole gift bag - dirty dozen bag tag, shopping guide on sunscreen, cookbook, reuseable shopping bags and water bottle, etc. Oh and CHOCOLATE.
I'm sure there are many other worthy groups. Use the comments section to make your recommendations.
Sara
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
What's for lunch - Thurs., 12/23
White Meat Chicken Patty on Whole Wheat Bun
Sandwich Fixin’s
Baked Sweet Potato “Fries”
Not so excited today. This is Tyson fried chicken product. The ingredients are: Boneless chicken breast with rib meat, water, salt, and natural flavor. BREADED WITH: Wheat flour, water, wheat starch, white whole wheat flour, salt, yellow corn flour, corn starch, dried onion, dried garlic, dried yeast, brown sugar, extractives of paprika, and spices. Breading set in vegetable oil.
Sounds like you'll also get some lettuce and tomatoes. The sweet potatoes should be plain baked sweet potatoes that we season ourselves.
Enjoy the break.
Sara
Sandwich Fixin’s
Baked Sweet Potato “Fries”
Not so excited today. This is Tyson fried chicken product. The ingredients are: Boneless chicken breast with rib meat, water, salt, and natural flavor. BREADED WITH: Wheat flour, water, wheat starch, white whole wheat flour, salt, yellow corn flour, corn starch, dried onion, dried garlic, dried yeast, brown sugar, extractives of paprika, and spices. Breading set in vegetable oil.
Sounds like you'll also get some lettuce and tomatoes. The sweet potatoes should be plain baked sweet potatoes that we season ourselves.
Enjoy the break.
Sara
People Still Asking What YOU Want for Christmas?
I want a composter. A really nice indoor one that does everything for me, and I can put anything in like the Nature Mill ones. Apparently, about 12% of the waste in this country is from food - the vast majority of which ends up in landfills according to this NYT article.
I'd like to see our school start composting, too, now that we're serving real food. The food services dept. is interested in trying a pilot program.
Please click comments below and add your ideas.
I'd also like to see Tyson fried chicken nuggets off the school lunch menu.
Sara
I'd like to see our school start composting, too, now that we're serving real food. The food services dept. is interested in trying a pilot program.
Please click comments below and add your ideas.
I'd also like to see Tyson fried chicken nuggets off the school lunch menu.
Sara
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
What's for Lunch - Wed., 12/22
Barilla Plus Baked Macaroni & Cheese
Fresh Garlic Bread
Broccoli Bites w/Dipping Sauce
Fresh Grapes
I'm excited about this lunch. The noodles we're using for the Mac n cheese are Barilla Plus. The ingredients are: Semolina, Grain and Legume Flour, Blend (Lentils, Chickpeas, Egg Whites, Spelt, Barley, Flaxseed, Oat Fiber, Oats), Durum Flour, Niacin, Iron (Ferrous Sulfate), Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid. The sauce is made from Cabot Vermont Cheddar.
The broccoli is fresh! As are the grapes.
The dipping sauce is probably the organic ranch we normally use.
Sara
Fresh Garlic Bread
Broccoli Bites w/Dipping Sauce
Fresh Grapes
I'm excited about this lunch. The noodles we're using for the Mac n cheese are Barilla Plus. The ingredients are: Semolina, Grain and Legume Flour, Blend (Lentils, Chickpeas, Egg Whites, Spelt, Barley, Flaxseed, Oat Fiber, Oats), Durum Flour, Niacin, Iron (Ferrous Sulfate), Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid. The sauce is made from Cabot Vermont Cheddar.
The broccoli is fresh! As are the grapes.
The dipping sauce is probably the organic ranch we normally use.
Sara
Monday, December 20, 2010
What's for Lunch - Tues. 12/21
BRUNCH FOR LUNCH
Homemade Challah French
Toast w/Orange Rounds
Applegate Turkey Bacon
Carrot Crunchers
Cinnamon Applesauce
It's hard to recommend what our committee's nutritionist has called "cake for lunch" but it is popular. At least it comes with fresh fruit and vegetables plus govt commodity applesauce.
At Sea Cliff, the french toast last month was served with a large portion of syrup. Clearly, the school lunch program cannot afford really maple syrup and pretty much all artificial syrups are made with high fructose corn syrup - which we have talked about extensively here. Our school has made great strides in getting HFCS out of a lot of foods but it is in this one.
The turkey bacon is by Applegate. It is nitrate-free. Here are the ingredients: Turkey (Turkey Used Never Administered Antibiotics, Growth Promotants or Animal By-products), Water, Sea Salt, Maple Sugar, Celery Juice, Onion Powder, Spices, Lactic Acid Starter Culture (not From Milk.)
Sara
Lunch Participation Rates - The Kids Need Time to Eat
As we discussed here, we should all support our much improved school lunch program in two ways:
1. Buy lunch - you can review the menus online and check here for more information on ingredients. I think you can easily find lunches this year you can feel good about.
2. Talk to your kids about taking - and at least trying if not eating - the fruits and vegetables served with each meal. The school receives a small amount of federal money for each complete meal they serve. Plus, your kids will get a much healthier meal that will last them much longer.
All in all, our students get a healthy lunch and the lunch program has additional funds so that we can make even more improvements in the quality of the ingredients and the number of foods we can make from scratch in our schools.
But I think there is one big barrier to having more kids buy lunch -- they need time to eat it. Kids complain very consistently that by the time they are able to get their lunch and sit down, they don't have enough time to eat it. Better facilities might be a necessary long-term plan but for right now, I think we need the school to focus on what they can do to get lunch to kids a little faster. I think we could start with just some simple time studies of how long it takes to get through the line and how long they have left to eat.
Sara
1. Buy lunch - you can review the menus online and check here for more information on ingredients. I think you can easily find lunches this year you can feel good about.
2. Talk to your kids about taking - and at least trying if not eating - the fruits and vegetables served with each meal. The school receives a small amount of federal money for each complete meal they serve. Plus, your kids will get a much healthier meal that will last them much longer.
All in all, our students get a healthy lunch and the lunch program has additional funds so that we can make even more improvements in the quality of the ingredients and the number of foods we can make from scratch in our schools.
But I think there is one big barrier to having more kids buy lunch -- they need time to eat it. Kids complain very consistently that by the time they are able to get their lunch and sit down, they don't have enough time to eat it. Better facilities might be a necessary long-term plan but for right now, I think we need the school to focus on what they can do to get lunch to kids a little faster. I think we could start with just some simple time studies of how long it takes to get through the line and how long they have left to eat.
Sara
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