New school lunch rules beginning later this year are supposed to combat childhood obesity; this lunch tray will look very different come fall. Some experts are concerned it won’t matter if kids are eating unhealthy food elsewhere. (Photos by Kim Hilsenbeck)
by KIM HILSENBECK
The second-grader scrunched up her nose and waved away the offer for hot veggies with her hot dog.
“They didn’t look very good,” she said about the carrots, preferring to grab an apple from the salad bar outside the lunch line.
Every day, plenty of Hays CISD students refuse their helpings of carrots, green beans and other healthy foods served in school cafeterias. But that’s about to change. When new federal rules for student lunches take effect in July, students will be required to take the hot vegetables with their entrée – and more of them.
Changes include caloric limits on meals, larger servings of hot vegetables and fruit, more whole grains, and limited starchy vegetables.
“A lot of food will probably go in the trash,” said Ashley Haley, child nutrition director for Hays CISD’s food service vendor.
The portion sizes for hot veggies and fruits will go from one-half cup to three-quarters, but the entree portions will likely go down to meet the maximum calorie amounts, which will differ by age group - lower limits for elementary, higher for middle and high school.
According to Texas Department of Agriculture spokesman Brian Black, students will have to take hot vegetables or fruit with their entrée for that meal to be eligible for reimbursement – the money the U.S. Department of Agriculture gives back to schools for participating in the school lunch program.
What happens now is lunch personnel offer the hot vegetables; students decide if they want them. On a recent Monday at Carpenter Hill Elementary, most kindergarteners, first- and second-graders opted not to.
Other USDA modifications include reduced saturated and trans fats, and, over time, lower amounts of sodium. Schools can serve only low fat or fat-free dairy products.
Haley, a registered dietician with Southwest Food Service Excellence, says her team is gearing up for the changes. This semester, her “roving chef” will take new recipe ideas to Hays CISD students for their reaction.
“We can require them to take veggies,” Haley said, “but if they won’t eat them, it doesn’t matter.”
Haley also said parents will likely see an increase in the cost of school meals with the new rules; with less reliance on frozen and processed foods, she sees an increase in labor and food costs. The USDA estimates that the cost of preparing each school lunch will rise by 11 cents.
Parents already saw a 10 cent increase for lunches this year, and will see another 10 cent bump in 2013, according to Haley. Neither had anything to do with the USDA changes.
Spearheaded by First Lady Michelle Obama, the new rules are the final piece of the Healthy, Hungry Free Kids Act of 2010. The goal of the legislation is to combat both childhood obesity and keep kids from going hungry.
The USDA says the changes will add $3.2 billion to the cost of school lunches over the next five years. Haley said a gap exists between government reimbursements and what districts charge.
Vendors like Haley’s company hope to see more participation in school lunch programs, especially from students who receive free or reduced meals under the National School Lunch Program.
“We receive more reimbursements on those meals than from students who pay full price,” Haley said.
The reimbursements today are 26 cents for regular priced lunches, $2.37 for reduced lunch, and $2.77 for free lunch. The full-price cost of lunch is $2.
With the new changes, reimbursements to schools will increase 6 cents for lunch and 13 cents for breakfast. The new breakfast rules begin in 2013.
Haley says Hays CISD is already ahead of the curve on many of the rules.
“Hays is very progressive in terms of what it’s doing for the kids,” she said.
For example, the district already serves only low-fat dairy; it got rid of strawberry-flavored milk completely. Chocolate is on the chopping block.
Under the current system, school lunches have to meet minimum caloric requirements. With the new rules, the meals will have a maximum number of calories allowed. It is unclear whether students will be able to get a second lunch, or make up for smaller lunch portions by purchasing more a la carte items. According to Haley, that is how vendors make the most money. The cost of most a la carte items at Carpenter Hill is between 50 cents and $1.
