• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Group Assigns Missouri an 'F' in School Foods

Posted on: Thursday, 22 June 2006, 18:00 CDT

By Janese Heavin, Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo.

Jun. 22--Missouri is a failure when it comes to school food, according to a recent ranking by a national group, but local districts say they're working to improve the nutritional value of food offerings.

Missouri districts are working with a statewide group to develop a model policy, said Kelli Hopkins, director of education policy for the Missouri School Boards Association.

Once the new wellness policy is implemented, Hopkins said, she has no doubt the report card grade will "improve greatly."

The failing grade comes from a study conducted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a group that publishes a nutrition newsletter. The study, released this week, looked at foods and beverages sold a la carte and through vending machines and fundraisers.

Missouri was among 23 states to receive an "F." Kentucky received an "A-minus," the highest grade given, for its statewide policies regarding junk food in schools.

Missouri follows the U.S. Department of Agriculture's guidelines for nutrition, but CPSI criticizes that policy for being "weak and out of date" regarding foods sold outside of meals.

A new USDA-mandated wellness policy is being implemented in schools this coming year, Hopkins said. That policy requires districts that receive free- and reduced-lunch reimbursements to adopt a health and nutrition policy.

The Columbia Public Schools Board of Education adopted that policy earlier this month. Although USDA isn't mandating stricter guidelines for vending machine products, Columbia's wellness committee will address that issue in the near future, said Pat Brooks, the district's food service director.

Columbia's al a carte foods, served alongside school lunches, already exceed USDA standards, Brooks said. Those items have no more than 200 calories, contain less than 50 percent calories from fat and must have 8 percent nutritional value in vitamins A or C, calcium or iron.

"More and more items are being manufactured that meet our criteria," Brooks said. "It's exciting to see how the industry has responded with some new products."

Individual buildings are in charge of vending machine sales, she said. The wellness committee plans to give some guidance, but ultimately it's up to the principal to determine when to operate the machines and what to offer in them, Brooks said. Vending machines aren't options for elementary or middle school students.

The CPSI study also looked at statewide policies regarding beverages in schools. That might be less of an issue in the future because soda distributors agreed to stop selling soft drinks during school hours.

Columbia schools offer water, low-fat milk and sports drinks.

Hopkins said she hadn't heard of the CPSI study, but she wasn't alarmed by Missouri's low marks.

"When it comes to nutrition, I have discovered there are a lot of groups with agendas," she said. "This may be a perfectly wonderful study with no agenda, but I know nothing about it."

Lumping Columbia into a statewide assessment might not be fair because nutritional policies are set on a local level, Hopkins noted.

Brooks said Columbia residents can be assured the wellness policy -- which also establishes physical activity and nutritional education goals -- is moving forward.

"Can we get better? Absolutely," she said. "We're always trying to improve. We're concerned about what's best for students so they're healthy and ready to learn."

-----

Copyright (c) 2006, Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

Source: Columbia Daily Tribune

More News in this Category