Come March 1, those students who buy school lunches will be part of a new plan to make America’s children healthier, one meal at a time.
The USDA has proposed a “Smart Snacks in School” rule standardizing all school lunches across the nation. It is the follow up to “The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010” passed by Congress but largely ignored by many school systems around the country.
The proposal’s intent is to combat childhood obesity by enforcing healthy intake of fats, nutrients and calories. In the official news release, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “Parents and teachers work hard to instill healthy eating habits in our kids, and these efforts should be supported when kids walk through the schoolhouse door…so the healthy choice is the easy choice for our kids.”
McIntosh students can expect some big changes with this new legislation. According to Ms. Janice Smith, the Cafeteria Manager, not only will all lines serve the same, healthier items, but condiments will no longer be offered. The daily menu will be set by county officials, so individual schools will have little say. But don’t be too alarmed because the menu won’t change much: most of the food served here is baked instead of fried, so few options will be taken away. In fact, Ms. Smith said that the cafeteria will offer six options daily: four hot entrees, one cold entree and one salad. Also, she said that the food served won’t decrease in quality just because it’s healthier.
Unfortunately, two MHS favorites may be saying goodbye. Yes, the a la carte staples of mozzarella sticks and french fries will be sacrificed to the cause. Junior Madi Bunker did not respond well to this news. She said, “I wish I was graduating sooner… Eating unhealthy doesn’t make you obese.” Sophomore Konnor Hapke said, “It’s smart, but I don’t like it. They’re going to lose money [because] I’ll just bring [unhealthy] foods anyway.” But according to the official report, the USDA’s main aim is not to decrease costs but rather to improve the nutrition students receive.
The vending machines have already been regulated; MHS only sells diet and zero-calorie sodas, so that will not change. As far as beverages go, the only new change is that all juices must be 100% fruit or vegetable juice.
School-run fundraisers and concessions will also be unaffected. Chick-fil-A biscuits will still be sold in the mornings, and candy at games.
Senior Alyson Laing took a positive approach to the changes. “It could be a good thing. It could be one little piece to a big puzzle,” she said. Ms. Smith also saw a light at the end of the tunnel. “Be patient, be thankful. We’re going to do the best to make it good for you, but you have to understand that it’s coming from a higher source with their own rules and regulations, so we have to keep by their standards… I know it’s going to be a lot of changes. We try to keep you under our wings and keep you our own, but we have to follow the rules. If you thought the salt packets were bad, this is going to be worse. But don’t [give up] just yet,” she said.
If you wish to know about the proposal in more detail, the USDA has published its 160 page official proposal, as well as one page long news release. Both can be found at usda.gov under the tab “News.”
