Improving School Lunch from the Top Down: New Momentum, Significant Policy Shift

By Mark Bishop, Deputy Director

Since HSC began working on school food programs, we've never seen such dramatic shift in policy on school nutrition -- and it's exciting to not only watch it unfold, but to be part of the movement.

Straight from the top, President Obama and the First Lady are active supporters of improving school food. This is a new experience for us -- having support from the leaders of the free world, that is.

But possibly even more dramatic are the changes that we're seeing at the USDA.

Remember, the USDA has been labeled by some advocates as part of the problem, not the solution. Historically, the USDA has been viewed as the agency that uses schools as a dumping ground for cheap commodity products. But I think this is changing. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan just sent out a memo that "details how to use USDA funding for the kind of projects that are being developed by First Lady Michelle Obama and her food policy team, such as school lunch infrastructure, farmers markets, farm to school programs, cooking classes."

The pieces for school food reform are falling into place. Advocates are lining up to support change, including the School Nutrition Association, Slow Food USA, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and more.

And now our top policy leaders are now even coordinating their lead: 

For the first time, we're beginning to get a glimpse of what could be accomplished if the goals and initiatives of the USDA and the East Wing and the West Wing really are integrated. And while a complete paradigm shift will also require private initiatives, especially for school lunch changes... this is an unprecedented move on the part of USDA to support real transformation... by focusing its resources. Seven short months ago, Merrigan's memo was almost unimaginable. Today, it was released to little fanfare...proof of how far we've rapidly gone in the paradigm shift.

Now, I agree that there is a need for private initiatives for a complete paradigm shift, but that's not all we need. For real transformation we also need to get a broad base of support for change. Getting a new federal school lunch program may cost billions of dollars -- and that's not an easy sell in this economic environment, even with support from the top. So we need to hear the voices of the parents, students, teachers, and community members that tell our political leaders this is an investment in our kids, our health and our future.

Our top leaders have started making the changes to support our kids. Now it's our turn to keep it going.

Comments

[Tim Magner]

It may cost billions of dollars more to serve real food, but not completing the paradigm shift also costs billions. We can pay some now, or we can pay more later.

Growing Green Minds,
Tim Magner
http://www.greensugarpress.com

P.S. When speaking with your administrators, consider suggesting a small vegetable garden at school!

[smilinggreenmom]

This is wonderful news! I agree with Tim Magner, that it will cost more later if we do not keep our future healthy! Our kids deserve this! We used to eat junk processed foods until we reevaluated our life due to our son's allergies and Eczema. Now we eat mainly whole healthy foods and focus on overall green-ness in all areas of our life. Thank to his Vidazorb chewable probiotic, we is so much better and can eat a variety of fruits, veg's etc and we all do this together. We are really trying every day! Our kids pack their lunches, but I am thrilled to know that change may be approaching for the sake of all kids!

[Mark]

Pay now or pay later... Completely true. But we also need to remember that to ensure healthy food & nutrition, we can't make the cost of healthy food compete for education dollars. Properly funding school lunches will allow school administrators to focus their dollars to the classroom, and not have to cut food programs to purchase textbooks. (And maybe we won't have to sell candy and junk to help underwrite our educational system...)