Digital imaging of lunchtime at two elementary schools showed more students putting fruits and vegetables on their cafeteria trays, a goal of the 2010 school lunch reforms. But they also ate less of the fruits and vegetables and discarded more, says a study by University of Vermont scientists. The study was conducted during the first year that students were required to take a fruit or vegetable as part of school lunch. “Average waste increased from one-quarter cup to more than one-third cup per tray, with about one-eighth cup per tray more FVs [fruits and vegetables] discarded,” says the study. It also said 12 percent of students did not eat any fruits or vegetables when they were required to be part of the meal, compared to 4 percent when they were optional. When the foods were optional, 16 percent of students did not even select a fruit or vegetable.
School lunch is among the child-nutrition programs due for reauthorization this fall. Sarah Amin, lead author of the U-Vermont study, said, “An important message is that guidelines need to be supplemented with other strategies to enrich fruit and vegetable consumption.” School gardens can encourage consumption, she said. Children prefer fruits and vegetables in the form of juice or mixed dishes, such as pizza or lasagna. And consumption might increase if vegetables are cut up and served with dip, or fruit is sliced beforehand, said the study, which also noted children do not consume the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables.
In related news, nearly seven of 10 school food directors who took part in a survey said school lunch reforms “have been harmful to their program’s health since inception of the standards in 2012,” according to the School Nutrition Association. Nineteen percent said there was no change and 3 percent said there was an improvement. Some 1,100 school districts responded to the survey. “To ensure programs remain financially sustainable for the children they serve, Congress must provide more funding and reasonable flexibility under the most stringent rules,” said SNA.
The association has called for an increase in reimbursement rates for serving meals. It says the reforms, which require schools to serve more fruits, vegetables and whole grains while cutting back on salt, sugar and fat, are costly. The new foods are unpopular with students and have reduced sales, says SNA. It has suggested changes such as letting students decide if they want fruits and vegetables as part of their meals. Nearly 31 million children at roughly 100,000 schools participate in the school lunch program.