healthy School Lunches

Background

One in three children is obese in the United States. The factors contributing to this epidemic vary, but poor nourishment and declining levels of physical action are most often cited. Schools are slow to join the fight against childhood obesity, and the National School Lunch program continues to serve the same unhealthy dishes from old decades: full of fat and low on nutritional content.

Healthy

Initiatives

Change has taken the form of initiatives with the goal of bringing more affordable and nutritious options to students across the country. The Re-authorization of the Child nourishment Act passed in the Senate but has been delayed in the House of Representatives until a decision is made by December 3, 2010.

So while Congress takes its recess, kids across America are taking theirs as well. Any way when U.S. Students take recess they are having to burn off the high-calorie junk food sold in vending machines and low-nutrition school lunches served in the cafeteria.

Another initiative underway to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity is Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.

Jamie Oliver, a preponderant culinary specialist from Essex, England became preponderant through several television series such as: The Naked Chef, Jamie's Kitchen, Jamie's School Dinners, Jamie's Chef, Jamie at Home, and Jamie's Ministry of Food.

His most modern show, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, focuses on educating families about food and nourishment in an exertion to reverse the rate of childhood obesity. The series begins by focusing on Huntington, West Virginia, which has been referenced to as the Unhealthiest City in America, and educates 1st graders on basic nutrition. Throughout his three-month case study of the city, Jamie is met by the obstacles of naysayers and stubborn parents unwilling to make healthy decisions for their families. Jamie succeeds in production the communal aware of the poor state of school lunches and nationwide eating habits in Food Revolution, but his mission has only begun.

National School Lunch Program

The National School Lunch program has systems in place to support over 101,000 schools with free or reduced price meals to lower-income students. Schools are required to match 30% of federal funds in the program, based on the funding they received in 1980. These matched funds have to be applied for through each state. Because of this, state contributions to the program are much smaller than the 30% requirement which leads to funds shortfalls and underfunded lunch programs.

Approximately 95% of schools partake in the program, and of the meals provided to students in 2009: 52% were free of fee & 10% were reduced. This still leaves 38% of lower-income students required to pay full price for school lunches and breakfasts.

The nutritional standards of the National School Lunch program are only met by 30% of schools that participate.

The mixture of state funds shortfalls and lack of nutritional oversight by schools has caused great concern, and is one of the items addressed in the un-passed Re-authorization of the Child nourishment Act. Schools have issue providing affordable lunch and breakfast to their students, as well as providing sufficient man-power to serve the students.

Private Sector Innovations

The underground sector has begun to design a amount of products to address this qoute that many schools face. Some fellowships have developed the solution of having "Automated Hot Food Machines". These machines are vending machines customized to dispense hot food by using an internal microwave to heat up packaged refrigerated meals as they are purchased by each student. Students have the capability to vend meals with their trainee identification card on some models.

Some food assistance fellowships contracted to school districts are taking matters into their own hands by creatively production alternative dishes to favorite unhealthy ones. For example, instead of the high-fat content fried tater tots, some food assistance fellowships are roasting potatoes in rosemary and garlic.

Affordable nourishment has yet to become a reality for U.S. Schools.

healthy School Lunches

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