Healthy Schools Campaign

Earth Day Network Launches Sustainable School Food Journalism Awards

Often the most innovative, honest and forward-thinking perspectives on how to improve school food come from the students themselves. As the ones closest to the action, students are leading the charge for a healthier menu and sparking conversations in cafeterias across America.

The Earth Day Network had been working on a number of initiatives to promote healthier school food, with various student engagement elements, such as a poster contest encouraging students to depict what a healthy lunch looks like. This year, the network is launching its first-annual Sustainable School Food Journalism Awards, where intrepid student reporters report on nutrition and food issues inside their school with input from their peers.

“We wanted to get high school students to learn about these issues from each other,” says John Maleri, Associate Director of Earth Day at the Earth Day Network. “We wanted them to utilize journalism as a way for students to talk to other students and start a dialogue.”

Maleri says the contest came about as the team was evaluating the new set of standards for school lunches that the United States Department of Agriculture proposed in 2010. Contest organizers specifically wanted students to talk to each other about nutrition issues and be a resource for one another and have their voices heard instead of having an outside adult come in for an initiative. School newspapers, as a “by students, for students” resource students use to stay informed and voice opinions, proved an effective outlet.

Students have brought some great ideas and pressing topics to the table. One issue that has frequently recurred in assignments is the new calorie limit imposed on school lunches, which students approach with varying perspectives, as student reporters understand the pressing issue of adolescent obesity, but are hearing from their peers that they don’t feel satisfied with the lower-calorie meals. Maleri says student reporters should look at all areas of an issue, but student perspective may be the key to making further improvements.

“We’re encouraging them not to be totally critical and look at it in context,” Maleri says. “And students have brought some really interesting ideas to make it successful.”

So far, the Earth Day Network has received responses from all over the country.“Just yesterday, I received an email from a student in Puerto Rico,” Maleri says. “The contest is open to all U.S. high school students, and we’d love to have everyone participate. We didn’t imagine it would reach this far, and they’re asking if they can contribute in Spanish. The response is really wonderful.”

The competition is open for high school students ages 13-18, who have written about healthy, sustainable school food for their school newspapers. Best-selling author and food journalist Michael Pollan will select the winners, and the University of California-Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, where Pollan is an adjunct faculty member, is one of the partners of the competition.

Six finalists will receive cash prizes--$1500 for first prize, $1,000 for second, $500 for third and $300 each to three fourth-place finalists--along with $200 to support their journalism class or student newspaper. The competition is a fantastic opportunity for exposure for budding writers as well--the winning articles will be published at the Earth Day Network’s website and broadcast out to their followers all around the world. Contest deadline is February 28, 2013, and students can submit their articles on the Earth Day Network website.

“We’re looking to spread the contest as far and wide as we can,” Maleri said. “Students are getting excited to write these articles.”

USDA Proposes National Standards for Competitive Foods in Schools

Today, the United States Department of Agriculture proposed national guidelines for competitive foods, or foods sold to students on school grounds that are not part of the National School Lunch Program or similar services. These include a la carte cafeteria items and items sold in vending machines and school stores. We are glad to see the USDA take this important step forward in creating healthier school environments.

Schools and students are changing, and as such, school food and school policy must evolve with them. The National School Lunch Program began in 1945 as a means of fighting malnourishment, with a focus on achieving a minimum of calories and nutrients. For decades, this was the standard.

Now, as childhood obesity and other chronic health problems reach staggering rates and prevent students from achieving, reevaluating school food to ensure access to nutritious meals and snacks is essential. Last year, the USDA updated its guidelines for school meals for the first time in 15 years and shifted the focus from nutrient and calorie requirements to a plan that involved more fruits and vegetables, more whole grains and other common-sense adjustments. These changes were a crucial step in the right direction. However, even with more nutritious school meals, students are still met with less healthy options in the same cafeteria line, or in on-campus vending machines. Creating a national standard for competitive foods and creating an overall environment for healthier choices is the next logical step. We need to allow for the healthy choice to be the easy choice.

The USDA has a 60-day comment period and, rest assured, the snack and beverage industries will be making their perspectives heard during this time. We'll be calling on everyone who cares about healthy food and healthy kids to speak up in support of strong and health-promoting guidelines. Our commitment is to ensuring that all students have access to nutritious food and a healthy school environment that will contribute to healthy habits for life.

Chicago Parents: Support Healthy School Meals as Part of the New CPS School Food Advisory Group

Calling all Chicago parents!

Would you like to help improve the Chicago Public Schools school lunch program? Would you like to help shape what food is available for lunch at your child’s school? Have you wondered who decides what is on the menu and how school lunches are prepared? Are you concerned about the amount of waste generated during the lunch period?

If so, this opportunity is for you. 

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is forming a Parent School Food Advisory Group and is seeking thoughtful parents and guardians to join the group.   A key goal for this group is to involve parents in efforts to provide nutritious and appealing meals in all schools each day.

At Healthy Schools Campaign, we believe it is critical for parents who care about school wellness and healthy school food to lend their voices to the dialogue about the CPS school food program.

We encourage you to apply today to be a part of the CPS Parent School Food Advisory Group.  In terms of time commitment, participants are asked to attend one to three meetings during the school year, and will need to be available to attend the first meeting on Wednesday, January 23 from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon.

If you are interested in participating, please complete the application online at http://bit.ly/CPS-parent-application.  The application deadline is January 9, 2013. For more information, please contact Nadia Sulayman, CPS School Wellness Specialist, at [email protected].  

Because Every Child Deserves Good Food

As 2012 comes to a close, we are taking a moment to reflect on HSC's work this year and on the reasons we believe this effort is so important. Thank you for being part of this movement!

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The food children eat in school can fuel their learning, boost their focus and teach important lessons about healthy eating. When schools integrate nutrition education and teach children where food comes from, they’re helping write the recipe for lifelong healthy habits. Plus, creating healthier school meals can be a catalyst for change in our food system, bringing wider access to healthy options. That’s why Healthy Schools Campaign advocates for good food in the school cafeteria and beyond—so all children are nourished to learn and grow.

Learn more and get involved in making sure all children have good food at school. To hear stories from advocates, parents, teachers and principals who are making healthy food a priority, visit the school nutrition section of HSC’s blog. The food students eat at school goes beyond the cafeteria to include snacks, celebrations and rewards. For tips on making these part of a healthy food culture at school, download our practical tip sheet [pdf].

 

Give the gift of healthy food. You have the power to make sure every child has access to a school lunch that fuels learning. Your tax-deductible gift supports Healthy Schools Campaign’s ongoing advocacy for nourishing school meals, healthy snacks and a food system that supports healthy choices. This brings great benefits not only for kids’ health, but for their learning as well.
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Impact: Making Chicken Raised without Antibiotics Part of School Lunch
Changes for school food can have powerful implications for kids’ health and for our food system. For example, HSC and a coalition of partners worked with Chicago Public Schools to make chicken raised without antibiotics part of the school meal program.The group identified a key market opportunity with Miller Poultry, which sells much of its chicken breast meat to Whole Foods and much of its thigh meat to Chipotle restaurants. It hadn’t found a good market for the drumsticks, which are too small to appeal to most retail customers but the perfect size for schoolchildren. The district went on to make a pioneering purchase of 1.2 million pounds of chicken drumsticks from Miller, which are now served at 473 CPS elementary and secondary schools. This came with another powerful change: cooking chicken from scratch in CPS for the first time in more than three decades. This is part of a broader effort in Chicago, with HSC’s support, to shape a school meal program that not only meets high nutrition standards but also gives consideration to where and how food is grown and raised. Read more on HSC’s blog »

Most schools have about $1 per meal available to spend on ingredients for a school lunch.

 

At Healthy Schools Campaign, we work to ensure that all children have access to school environments that support their health and learning. To learn more, visit us online or contact us. In the weeks ahead, we will share more about our impact and our work for environmental health. Thank you for being part of the movement for healthy schools.

Kids Compete . . . to Eat Healthy Lunches!

Today we have a guest post from Noah Pickens, Program Associate at Urban Initiatives. Thanks to Noah for this great post!

Encouraging kids to eat their vegetables is a timeless challenge, but Urban Initiatives’ partnership at Tarkington School of Excellence has implemented a new strategy to incentivize students to eat all their food at lunch.

I spend every Tuesday at Tarkington, pioneering health-related projects to reach all 1000 students in the school and help Tarkington complete the HealthierUS Schools Challenge. This week, I organized a contest with the 2nd and 3rd grades to see which class could have the smallest amount of wasted food after lunch. This is simultaneously an exercise in nutrition education as well as responsibility (through reducing waste).

Over the past few years in Chicago, grassroots campaigns have worked hard to implement policy changes that get more diverse and nutritious foods on students’ plates in the cafeteria. This is an amazing step toward improving kids’ health and academic success. However, Urban Initiatives folks spend time in schools during the day and know that a lot of food ends up in the trash. A study in Chicago showed that at one school, over 300 lbs of food was wasted every day. In an effort to raise awareness about healthy eating and the importance of reducing waste, I was eager to implement this cafeteria challenge!

The Tarkington team consisted of the lunchroom manager Ms. Warner, parent volunteer Brenda Villasenor, and me. Before lunch, Coach Villasenor and I visited each participating classroom to discuss the importance of eating a variety of healthy foods, using CLOCC's 5-4-3-2-1-Go! message, which includes getting “5 servings of fruits and vegetables” and “3 servings of low-fat dairy,” both of which are available at lunch! They also talked about why it is important to reduce food waste because it conserves resources and demonstrates responsible citizenship. The winning classroom would walk away with a cool blue Urban Initiatives wristband with the keyword: HEALTHY.

Students embraced this challenge enthusiastically, working together and cheering each other on to leave nothing behind. They encouraged each other and proudly displayed their empty trays! After lunch, Coach Visallenor and the cafeteria staff compared leftovers to determine that Ms. Miller’s 3rd grade class was the winner! Ms. Warner was incredibly excited with the way the kids ate their lunch and hopes to host more of these contests and reach the entire student body.

Urban Initiatives is so proud to be part of the city-wide effort to get all kids healthy by eating good food!

Thanks to Noah for this post! You can learn more about Urban Initiatives here.

Changing School Lunch: Engaging Students in Creating Healthy School Meals They Want to Eat

A recent editorial (pdf) by David Katz in the journal Childhood Obesity highlights an aspect of school food reform that's often overlooked. New school food standards matter -- a lot -- but there's another factor that's just as key. Katz says: "Improving nutrition for kids will only ever be as impactful as their willingness to swallow our successes. If they don’t eat it, it won’t matter."

We've seen this play out recently in the news, as students in various cities protest new meal standards. 

 Katz urges us to have faith that kids' tastebuds will eventually respond to new flavors:

"People like the food they know. It is not coincidence that babies in Mexico grow up learning to eat hot chilies, while babies in Japan learn to love raw fish. A large volume of research that I have reviewed for several of the books I have written, as well as 20 years of clinical practice, convince me that taste buds are malleable little fellas: When they can’t be with a food they love, they pretty readily learn to love the food they are with. Once they do, familiarity becomes a powerful reinforcing agent. We like what we know."

At the same time, he notes, we must engage students in the process and give them the knowledge and experiences to make their own healthy choices. Katz says: "We must recall that the ultimate decision here -- what to eat -- resides with the children themselves. . .  we must work with them, as well as for them, to ensure that health is a common priority and to ensure that we share a taste for salutary change."

We agree that involving students is key.  That's why we continue to engage high school culinary students through the Cooking up Change healthy cooking contest! Cooking up Change challenges high school students to create a healthy school lunch within the budget and time constraints facing public schools. HSC will launch the national series of contests on Friday, November 9 in with the flagship Chicago contest and benefit. Winners selected by a judging panel that includes Chicago’s leading chefs will travel to Washington, D.C. to compete in the national finals and present their meal to Congress.

We invite you to join us for one of the most exciting, fun and meaningful nights of the year as teens show us how they would change school food. Learn more, check out stories from student chefs, and purchase tickets online at www.cookingupchange.org.

For more from Dr. David Katz, follow him on Twitter: @DrDavidKatz or check out another recent article of his, The Road to Loving Lunch (That Loves Our Kids Back).

Plus: The same issue of the journal Childhood Obesity features a spotlight on Cooking up Change! Check it out on pages 3-5 of the "success stories" section of the journal [pdf].

What Does School Food Mean for National Security? Retired Military Leaders Speak Up for Healthy Schools

By Ashley Hofmann, HSC public policy intern

Ashley Hofmann is completing the final practicum to earn her Masters of Social Work from the University of Missouri. Her academic research focuses on disparities in access to health care and how policy can act as a catalyst for social justice.

We all know that excess body fat is a concern for our individual health, but did you also know that it’s a concern for national security?  A group of retired military leaders at the nonprofit Mission Readiness has released a report [pdf] urging schools to decrease junk food sold in vending machines, a la carte lines, and stores as a way to stop the rising rates of childhood obesity, which leave 1 in 4 young people ineligible for military service.  

The report, "Still Too Fat to Fight" (a quick read with stories and graphs), begins with a simple statement: “We cannot succeed in teaching our children to eat healthier foods while selling them 400 billion junk food calories in our schools every year.”  The report goes on to explain:

The problem of junk food sold in schools is not just a national health issue. It’s a national security issue.  Over the past 40 years, obesity rates have more than tripled for children and teens. . . .  Meanwhile, too many schools across America still have vending machines and other venues where children can routinely buy candy, potato chips, cakes, cookies and sugar-sweetened fruit juices or sports drinks.  The calories add up.

While limiting the sale of junk food is not a solution by itself for the childhood obesity epidemic, it is part of the solution.  When schools sell candy and sugary drinks in cafeterias and vending machines, it works against national efforts to serve healthier school meals and parents’ efforts to help their children develop healthier lifelong eating habits.

This is not the first time we’ve heard that schools need standards for food sold outside the lunch program.  A report released earlier this summer from the Institute of Medicine, along with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, focus on these “competitive foods” (snacks in school)  as a culprit in childhood obesity.  But the push from military leaders highlights a different consequence of the epidemic.  The national problem is not only affecting individual health, productivity at work, and medical expenses (though the military report does mention that the government spends over $1 billion each year on weight-related injuries and cardiovascular diseases for members of the military and their families), but also has an impact on our ability as a country to build a strong military.

A focus on this connection between school food and military readiness is not a recent development.  In fact, when the National School Lunch Program was created in 1945, it was in part “as a measure of national security.”  Military leaders, concerned about the number of young men who were too malnourished for military service, called upon the nation to make sure that students received proper nutrition.  This drive shaped many of the program’s details, such as the fact that school lunches were required to provide a minimum number of calories but had no upper limit on calories.  Today’s children, of course, are facing a different set of challenges.  In 2009, Mission Readiness released its original “Too Fat to Fight” report that called on the nation to provide healthier school food, reduce access to junk food in schools, and offer nutrition education lessons.  (For more about the history of school food and how our nation’s vision for this program  has evolved over the years, check out HSC President and CEO Rochelle Davis’ recent blog.)

Schools play an important role in reversing the obesity rates because of the amount of time children spend at school and the calories they consume there.  A 2005 study by the USDA found that approximately 400 billion calories from junk food are consumed at school each year.  Districts that have put regulations in place to limit these low-nutrient, calorie-dense foods, along with providing health education and increasing physical activity, have seen a decrease in obesity rates in their students.  Efforts to remove unhealthy snacks from schools, along with healthier lunch standards and support from the community, will help to ensure a brighter, longer future for our children.

As adults, we hold responsibility for the health of our nation’s children.  And more than responsibility, we have the power of our voice and vote to protect our children’s health and future.  You can write to your members of Congress and tell them you support healthy food in schools; call your school district superintendent to talk about the district’s wellness policies; and meet with your school principal and teachers to ask how you can work together to make sure the school supports kids’ health.  You’ll make a difference not only for individual children but for our nation as a whole.  What could be more patriotic than that?

Re-envisioning School Food for Today’s Generation of Students

by Rochelle Davis, HSC President and CEO

This month, we’re seeing our nation’s school nutrition community take an important step in the process of re-envisioning school food. With the start of the new school year, schools across the country are implementing new USDA nutrition standards that reflect a movement to transform our nation’s school lunch program from one that supplies calories to a generation of under-nourished children to one that focuses on providing nutrient-rich meals for a generation of children facing high rates of obesity and related illnesses.

This is an important step in a larger movement that has been underway for more than a decade. It’s not perfect and not without challenges, but it’s an incredibly valuable step forward for kids’ health.

When the national school lunch program was created in 1945, it was seen in part as a measure of national security. Military leaders, concerned about the number of young men who were too malnourished for military service, called upon the nation to make sure that students received proper nutrition. This drive shaped many of the program’s details, such as the fact that school lunches were required to provide a minimum number of calories but had no upper limit on calories. The program was designed with the primary goal of making absolutely sure that students got enough to eat.

Today, we are facing a different set of challenges. Sixty-plus years after the school lunch program began, military leaders again urged schools to make changes to their food program out of concern for the number of young men and women who were facing serious health problems, this time as a result of overweight and obesity. The military leaders joined parents, educators, medical experts and others in calling for school meals to focus not on increasing children’s calorie intake but instead on providing healthy, nutrient-dense food that is lacking in many kids’ diets, foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

For the past decade, we’ve seen a shift in the way our country thinks about school food and we’ve seen an effort to answer the call for healthy changes. The USDA, the primary funder of school food, has been working to re-engineer its program from one that focuses on delivering calories to one that focuses on the type of nutrition that today’s generation of children needs.

This effort has been surrounded by activity from across sectors -- we’ve seen the growth of the farm to school movement, a requirement for schools to develop wellness policies, even money for school kitchen facilities in the federal stimulus funding. More recently, we’ve seen programs like Food Corps, which engages recent college graduates in helping kids learn about healthy food with school gardens and nutrition education. First Lady Michelle Obama has brought great energy and attention to the issue with her Let’s Move initiative. And of course, schools across the country began making changes to transform their programs and focus on healthier school meals.

The 2010 reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, the bill that provides funding and sets policy for school food, brought federal changes that reflect the direction of this movement -- including the new nutrition standards going into effect this month.

The bill required the USDA to update its nutrition standards for school food for the first time in fifteen years and tied an increase in funding (about six cents per meal) to these improvements. These updates are based in current nutrition science and in an understanding of the health needs of today’s generation of children. These are the standards that we’re seeing in action in schools this month.

What do the new standards look like? They bring a whole set of sensible healthy changes -- providing more fruits and vegetables, making sure that more of the vegetables are the nutrient-rich dark green and orange type, serving more whole grains, adjusting portion sizes and, for the first time, setting a limit on the number of calories schools may include in one lunch. These new standards aren’t perfect, but they are an important and valuable step forward. The standards are part of our nation’s journey to re-envision school food that began more than a decade ago and will surely continue for years to come.

We’ve heard from school nutrition directors that the standards bring new challenges for reporting and that many are still working through implementation. Others report that the changes they have made over the last few years have positioned them well to put the new standards in action. Tight funding has for many years been a real problem for school food programs, and that continues to be the case.

Successfully changing a food program at the school level often means providing nutrition education so that students have a positive reaction to the changes. All of us -- advocates, parents, school nutrition leaders -- have a role to play in working through these challenges and helping make this new vision for school food a healthy reality for our nation’s children.

Back to School: Improved Meals at America’s Schools

This week, we’re focusing on the new nutrition standards for school lunch! Today, we’re happy to share a guest blog by Kevin Concannon, USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services. Check out yesterday’s post for our new infographic on what the new standards will mean for school lunch, and be sure to check back this week for more updates!  

by Undersecretary Kevin Concannon

As students head back to school this fall, they will find healthier and more nutritious school meals that offer both fruits and vegetables every day; substantially more whole grain-rich foods; only fat-free or low-fat milk; calories based on the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size; and increased focus on reducing sodium.

As Under Secretary for USDA’s Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, I am excited that the school day is now healthier for America’s young people. Schools have always played a central role in the lives of our children – and not just in the classroom.

Many students eat two meals a day at school, making the quality of these meals all the more important. It’s vital that we provide our youngsters with healthy food choices that enable them to learn, grow, and thrive.

New federal standards, championed by First Lady Michelle Obama as part of her Let’s Move! initiative, align school meals with the latest nutrition science consistent with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

To make these changes successful, parents, school staff, and members of the community need to get involved in inspiring and encouraging students to eat healthy both at school and at home.  Eat lunch with your children at school, review the school menus with your children, try new foods at home that are on the school menu, and convey the importance of healthy eating to children.

Schools will phase in the nutrition standards over a three-year period, starting in school year 2012-2013. Schools will focus on changes in the lunches in the first year, with most changes in breakfast to take place in future years.

The new meal requirements mark the first major changes in school meals in more than a decade and will help raise a healthier generation of kids. In short, these new measures do what’s right for the health of our children, and do it in a responsible way that is achievable even in the real-world circumstances of America’s schools.

In addition to the new meal standards, other resources give schools the opportunity to meet the challenge of providing healthier meals, including:

• Increased funding for schools – the first real increase in 30 years – tied to strong performance in serving improved meals.
• Training and technical assistance to help schools achieve and monitor compliance.

These improvements in school nutrition add up to a substantial investment in the future of our children – and our nation. As President Obama has said:  “…if we want to win the future…then we also have to win the race to educate our kids.”

No child should have to learn on an empty stomach.  All children should be fueled by the healthiest, most nutritious food we can provide.

So, as kids head back to the classroom, remember: The school day just got healthier.   For ideas and resources for getting involved, go to www.fns.usda.gov/healthierschoolday.

What Do the New Nutrition Standards Mean for School Lunch?

As kids across the country head back to school this month, they’re finding something new in the cafeteria: healthier school meals shaped by updated nutrition standards. This year, the USDA updated the nutrition standards it sets for school meals for the first time in more than 15 years. (For more on how these standards came about, check out HSC’s blog.)

What do the new standards mean for the lunches kids see on their trays? The highlights: more fruits and vegetables, more whole grains and age-appropriate portion sizes.

We’ve created a new infographic that shows the new standards in a simple format. Take a look and let us know what you think! Click the image below to check out the new infographic.



In addition to the changes we’re seeing in the cafeteria this year, the new nutrition standards include changes that schools can phase in over the next several years.  The years ahead will bring even more whole grains (by 2014, all grains served in school lunch will be rich in whole grains) and less sodium.

For more information about the updated standards and what they mean for school lunch, visit the USDA’s Healthier School Day site or check out this detailed comparison chart [pdf].

Throughout this week, we’ll be featuring more perspectives and insight on the new nutrition standards. Stay posted for more!

Plus: Share your tray! The graphic HSC created represents one way the new nutrition standards could be put in action. What do the new standards look like in your school? Show us a picture of your school lunch! Tweet your photos to @healthyschools or tag Healthy Schools Campaign on Facebook.

Celebrate and Support Healthy Eating for Kids with Purple Asparagus’ Corks & Crayons

HSC’s friends at Purple Asparagus are doing great work for kids’ health -- they bring exciting and delicious hands-on nutrition education to classrooms, farmers’ markets and beyond. That’s why we’re excited that this weekend brings an opportunity to support Purple Asparagus at the eighth annual Corks & Crayons event.

Corks & Crayons is Purple Asparagus’ signature annual fun-for-all-ages event. Taking place in the gorgeous Greenhouse Loft and hosted by Michael Moody, NBC's Biggest Loser Chicago Tour fitness expert, this year’s event will feature tastings from some of Chicago’s top chefs including Top Chef contestants Heather Terhune (Sable) and Richie Farina (Moto), and Mindy Segal, winner of the 2012 James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry (Hot Chocolate).

The event will feature activities to keep the entire family entertained including a mini farmer’s market, tours of the LEED Certified Green Exchange, a photo booth, a silent auction, raffle prize drawings, art projects for the kids, and the revealing of the winner of Michael Moody’s Redefine Yourself Fitness Challenge!

Corks & Crayons will take place at Greenhouse Loft in the Green Exchange on 2545 W. Diversey in Chicago on Sunday, August 26 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets and proceeds from the Corks & Crayons event directly support Purple Asparagus’ educational programs. For more information, please visit CorksAndCrayons.com.

You can also support Purple Asparagus through their online auction here.

The Farm Bill: What’s In It for School Food?

T-minus 73 days until the current Farm Bill expires! The Senate passed their version of the bill on June 21, which leaves the ball in the House's court. While 73 days may seem like plenty of time for the House to work on new legislation, our Representatives will not be in session for six of the next 10 weeks. That leaves little time for the Farm Bill to be debated and voted on in the House, and even less for the Senate and House to reach a compromise between their respective versions. That’s why it’s more important than ever for all of us to speak up and let our representatives know we want a Farm Bill that supports healthy food. In our previous Farm Bill blog, HSC made recommendations that would support the purchase and distribution of whole foods to our nations schools. Take a look at them here.

To speak about the important role of the Farm Bill in supporting healthy food in our schools is Sheilah Davidson, Policy Program Manager and Stakeholder Liaison for School Food FOCUS. She has been advocating for social change for more than 20 years and has experience working on several farm bills during that time.

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by Sheilah Davidson, Policy Program Manager, School Food FOCUS

What’s in a name? Some advocates believe the Farm Bill should be renamed the Food Bill –- as that’s mostly what it’s about. The Farm Bill, renewed every five years or so and currently being debated in Congress, is a hugely important part of our county’s food safety net, containing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits -– often called food stamps -– and other programs that affect what healthful foods are available (and affordable!) for school food.

Many people know that the Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) is important to school food, and the debate and passage of the Farm Bill is another time to make changes that can transform what’s for lunch. These two laws are reauthorized on different timetables -- so one sets the stage for further changes in the next. For example, geographic preference (or GP -– meaning that schools can legally apply a preference for local foods in their bidding processes) was first passed in the 2002 Farm Bill. Support for farm to school programs, which can take advantage of GP, were passed in the 2004 CNR.

The 2008 Farm Bill then upped the ante, with more support for actual implementation of GP and more money for fruit and vegetable snacks, among other programs. Guaranteed funding and better language for Farm to School grants followed in the 2010 CNR bill.

All along the way, people spoke up to push these changes through.

Sadly, we’re not seeing the same momentum in the Farm Bill debate going on right now. With Congress unable to agree on much at all, and spending for the public good under constant attack, we will be lucky to hold the line on important gains we’ve seen over many years. 

This is not the time to give up! You can help by contacting your legislators at key times in the process. Healthy Schools Campaign and many other organizations send out action alerts to make it easy to let your members of Congress know what’s important to you. Please speak up for our children’s sake.

School Food FOCUS is a national collaborative that leverages the knowledge and procurement power of large school districts to make school meals nationwide more healthful, regionally sourced, and sustainably produced. FOCUS aims to transform food systems to support students’ academic achievement and lifelong health, while directly benefiting farmers, regional economies, and the environment. If you’d like to learn more, follow School Food FOCUS on Twitter and Facebook.

Healthy Standards for Snack Food Sold in Schools Bring Benefits for Health, Academics and School Revenue

By Ashley Hofmann, HSC public policy intern

Although Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act a year and a half ago, the USDA is still ironing out the fine print -- specific standards for how we’re going to ensure all kids have nutritious school food that supports their health and learning.  The new and much improved meal standards were released this past January and a proposed rule for competitive foods is in the works.

This is a huge deal.  Translated from government-speak to plain English, "competitive foods" comprise everything sold in schools outside the official USDA meal programs -- such as chips and sodas from vending machines and a la carte lines -- and are so named because they "compete" with the USDA programs for student dollars.

As you can imagine, many of these foods offer little nutritional value and are high in fat and sugar.  So while the USDA has set nutritional standards for school meals, snack foods sold in schools are widely unregulated.  Creating national guidelines will go a long way in preventing childhood obesity and related illnesses.

Tomorrow, HSC is joining advocates for children’s health and learning in Washington, DC for a special briefing on the important role that strong nutrition standards for competitive foods can play in improving both children’s health and academic achievement. Please take a moment to urge your senators and representative to attend the briefing and learn more about this critical issue.



To inform the USDA’s work on the new guidelines for competitive foods, the Kids’ Safe & Healthful Foods Project and the Health Impact Project, both collaborations of The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, released a Health Impact Assessment outlining the influence nutrition standards can have on student diet, school finances, and vulnerable populations.

Findings from the report indicate that strong nutrition standards for competitive foods can:

• Decrease the availability, and therefore consumption, of junk foods, which in turn decreases students’ risks for obesity and diet-related diseases
• Increase school food service revenue through higher participation in the USDA programs
• Have a positive impact on vulnerable student populations by providing greater access to healthy food, which can lead to higher academic performance

To achieve these outcomes, the report recommends that the USDA create nutrition standards for all foods and beverages sold on the school campus.  To ensure effective implementation of these standards, the report places special importance on how schools advertise USDA meals as well as the need for schools to receive technical support and training through the process.

To read the findings and recommendations in detail, the full report can be found here.

Plus: Take a moment to invite your senators and representative to tomorrow’s briefing on this issue here!

Finding Fresh Food in the Farm Bill

By Ashley Hofmann, HSC public policy intern

What’s the Farm Bill have to do with school food? A lot, actually. And it has the potential to do a lot more if Congress votes to promote healthy food by making it physically and financially accessible through updates to the Farm Bill.

As it relates to school food, the Farm Bill acts mostly as a funding mechanism through the purchase of farm commodities, support of fresh produce programs, grants aimed at developing local supply chains, and provisions to encourage schools to source locally-grown food. The problem arises in funding levels for different types of crops. In 2010, for example, corn and soybean growers received $5.5 billion in subsidies. But most of this isn’t the kind of corn-on-the-cob you grill or the edamame you add to your salad; it ends up as silage, ethanol, and high-fructose corn syrup. This type of spending policy is currently prioritizing fuel and feed over fresh food.

The 2008 Farm Bill took steps to support healthy eating by requiring the USDA to spend more of its budget on fresh food -- $200 million per year. (In case you don’t have a calculator handy, this means corn and soybeans received 28 times more funding than fresh apples, oranges, and broccoli.) Last week the Senate passed their version of the bill, named the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2012, which increases funding for community food projects and farmers markets, and introduces a farm-to-school pilot program in five states.

At HSC, we commend Congress on their steps to increase support for fresh, healthy food through the Farm Bill and urge our elected officials to continue making changes that will support student health and wellness. HSC makes the following recommendations for the Farm Bill:

• Increase the required amount USDA spends on fresh fruits and vegetables to support the nutrition guidelines set forth in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act
• Provide commodity support for the School Breakfast Program at a value of 10 cents per meal served to help schools meet new nutrition standards and rising numbers of participants
• Allow school districts to apply for Community Food Projects Competitive Grants to encourage their participation in building local food networks, supporting local growers, and bringing fresh produce to children

Now that the Senate has taken positive steps toward these recommendations, we look to the House to ensure the Farm Bill continues to promote healthy food options by providing adequate funding for school meals and grants to local farm-to-school networks. Representatives need to hear that fresh, local food for students is a priority. We encourage you to send your representative a letter urging support of fresh, local food in the Farm Bill. 

Take action by sending a letter here.

Over the next few weeks we’ll hear from several guest bloggers about the bill’s impact on the future of school food, obesity rates, and community food initiatives. In the meantime, check out this infographic examining the disconnect between the government’s nutritional recommendations and funding levels for fuel and feed.

Stay posted for updates!

Plus: Interested in learning more about the Farm Bill? Check out HSC's Farm Bill fact sheet!

Filling the Nutrition Gap with Summer Food Programs

by Alyse Festenstein, HSC's Go for the Gold intern

Summer in Chicago is here, and for 400,000+ CPS students this means not only a two-and-a-half month break from class instruction, but also time away from school breakfast and lunch. Eighty-six percent of CPS students qualify for either free or reduced-price meals based on family income; the meals they eat at school through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs provide the fuel students need to focus and fully participate in school. That need for healthy meals does not end with the last school bell.

Nationally, school food leaders are recognizing the challenge this poses for millions of American families. In a recent USDA blog, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack highlighted the importance of addressing children’s nutritional needs throughout the year. “Proper nutrition is critical for a child’s ability to learn, grow, and be ready to achieve their dreams – and hunger is one of the most severe roadblocks to the learning process,” Vilsack wrote. “Lack of nutrition during the summer months may set up a cycle for poor performance once school begins again and can make children more prone to illness and other health issues year-round.”

To address the challenge of ensuring children are well-nourished through the summer months, the USDA implemented the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) in 1975. The program is administered at the state level by state education agencies like the Illinois State Board of Education and sponsored locally by organizations such as schools, summer camps, or community non-profits. These groups can provide free nutritious meals to children 18 and younger in communities where at least half of the resident families earn incomes at or below 185% of the Federal poverty level.

In addition to SFSP, the USDA has rolled out a new program, The Seamless Summer Option, to encourage school food providers to continue service throughout the summer and during school holidays.  The assistance these programs provide is vital for low-income families, especially because research shows greater food insecurity during these summer months. Last year, over 4,700 sponsors participated in the program and served more than 137 million meals to kids in need of a healthy meal through the summer break. Because of efforts to increase sponsoring sites, Secretary Vilsack notes that these numbers are expected to grow this summer.  

While there is undeniable need for SFSP program in the Chicago area and across the nation, both national and state wide data indicate that the program is underutilized and many children are not receiving the services they need. Most recent statistics show that during the summer proceeding the 2009-2010 school year, only 14.3 children in Illinois participated in the program for every 100 children in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), which is fairly consistent with the national averages. This participation rate actually represents a 15% increase from the previous year and a 25% increase in the number of sponsoring sites throughout the state. Somehow the overwhelming majority of children in need are not accessing these summer food programs.

The crucial question remains: why are children not receiving these healthy meals in the summer?

It’s a complicated issue, but there seem to be many more variables involved during this time that prevent children from getting their meals. According to a study conducted by National Food Service Management Institute, barriers to program success exist both from the sponsor’s point of view and that of eligible children. Sponsors cited the volume of paperwork and unprepared staff as the main reasons they might not want to continue with the program. Additionally, they reported that many children could not participate because they lacked transportation, or their families did not know about the program or its benefits. The 2010 Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act made slight changes to SFSP that may help address these barriers in the future.  Schools are now required to help with summer food outreach, sponsoring agencies will see a decrease in required paperwork, and there is no longer a cap on the number of sites or children served.

Organizations in many U.S. cities are working together to design creative, local programs to ensure children in their community are able to have healthy meals this summer. New Haven Connecticut’s Tim Cipriano, the executive director of school food services, has been featured in the news recently for the city’s new food truck program. By delivering meals to children and harnessing the buzz around food trucks, he is addressing the transportation issue and stigma associated with summer meals at school. His idea has inspired other school districts, and this summer he plans to serve 40,000 bagged lunches. Chicago has also taken steps to improve summer nutrition. Through the effort of The Chicago Summer Food Work Group, participation rates have increased 9% in the last year alone. The group worked to include informational fliers in all backpacks of CPS students and collaborated with the Illinois State Board of Education to develop a mapping tool used to target the neighborhoods in greatest need.

Hundreds of locations across Chicago will sponsor free meals and snacks for children this summer. For information regarding locations and dates of program service, contact the Illinois Hunger Coalition at 1-800-359-2163 or visit the Chicago Housing Authority website for an interactive map of sponsoring sites. Let’s work together to make sure our children have healthy meals this summer and can return to school ready to learn in the fall.

Institute of Medicine Recommends Holistic Approach to Obesity Prevention

By Ashley Hofmann, HSC public policy intern

Last month, the Institute of Medicine released a comprehensive report outlining necessary changes to American culture to combat the rising obesity rates among children and adults. With so much focus on the current obesity epidemic, this report stands out because it offers multiple strategies that, when working together, can speed up prevention efforts and turn around the increase in obesity rates in just a few years.

For an in-depth look at the complete five recommendations and corresponding action steps the The Committee on Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention prescribed, the 462-page document can be found here. For a quick overview, check out the "at a glance" infographic at the end of this post.

The committee used a systems approach to analyze obesity prevention measures that would be most effective when implemented together. They specifically looked at how strategies would reinforce each other to have a greater impact or create unintended side effects. An important factor in these strategies is time: the committee focused on changes that can be implemented now to prevent rising obesity rates over the coming decade. With this whole-system approach, five areas, or environments, were identified as places where it will be most important to make changes in the daily lives of Americans. These areas include:

• Increased opportunities for physical activity
• Wider availability of healthy foods and beverages
• Marketing and education messages to the public emphasizing physical activity and nutrition
• Health care systems and places of work that offer obesity prevention support
• Schools as a national focal point of obesity prevention

For each environment, the report makes suggestions of who should be involved and what steps they can take to assist in obesity prevention. Everyone plays a role in this effort, from local city councils to members of Congress, from foundations to private business leaders, from local education agencies to the USDA.

A significant feature of this report is that schools were identified as one of the most critical places to implement changes.

The committee points out that children spend half of their waking hours at school facilities and consume one third to one half of their calories while at school. As a result, any positive changes made in this environment can have a huge impact on current childhood obesity rates. They can also have a powerful impact on the future rates of adult obesity, because many overweight or obese children grow up to become overweight or obese adults. The committee proposed three strategies to prevent obesity in schools:

• Require 60 minutes of physical activity for students every school day
• Increase the nutritional standards of the foods made available to students
• Teach students the knowledge and skills to make healthy choices for lifelong wellness

The committee takes thoughtful steps in mentioning the important role of leadership and community participation in making the recommended changes for obesity prevention a reality, further acknowledging that low-income families often live in neighborhoods without access to many health resources and lack the organized voice to fully represent their views.  

This recommendation connects closely to work HSC does on the ground, empowering students, parents, teachers and many others in communities most affected by health disparities to create healthy environments where all children can grow and learn.

Students who participate in HSC’s Cooking up Change healthy cooking contest learn to create and cook healthy menus. The team of Parents United for Healthy Schools, an HSC-led coalition, has advocated successfully for recess and stronger nutrition standards in Chicago Public Schools. Teachers who complete the Fit to Learn professional development program are taught practical ways to bring health and wellness into the classroom experience. Through the Go for the Gold campaign, over 75 Chicago schools have made improvements in health and wellness.

HSC continues to work closely with many stakeholders to improve health and wellness opportunities in Chicago and across the nation and applauds the committee’s efforts to shed light on the system-level forces that are shaping the obesity epidemic and the multi-level changes needed to reverse the trend.

Plus: Check out the "report at a glance" graphic from the Institute of Medicine, below, for an overview of the issues and recommendations!

Source: Institute of Medicine

Media Spotlights Cooking up Change Student Chefs

Not too long ago, students from across the country gathered in our nation’s capitol to help transform the future of school food. Cooking up Change is a spectacular platform for students to join the national dialogue around healthy school meals. The student chefs were the stars of the day, at the event and in the media! Thanks to the local and national news teams that came to spotlight these talented student chefs.

Photographers capture photos of Arne Duncan’s visit with the Cooking up Change student chefs

Prior to preparing their meal, student chefs from Chicago, Denver, Jacksonville, Santa Ana, St. Louis, and Winston-Salem met with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who wished the students good luck.

The Cooking up Change Chicago team shared the importance of healthy cooking and eating in addressing childhood obesity with PBS Newshour:

 

Following the contest, the student chefs spoke at a briefing on school food with Pew Charitable Trust. Cooking up Change National co-chair Karen Duncan highlighted their leadership, creativity, and efforts to transform school food.

We’ve already shared the Santa Ana team’s excitement and hopes. Back home, they were featured in the local paper and on television. They also presented their meal with Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez and their chef mentor Katy Clark after winning the contest. The Orange County Register also blogged about their win here. Cooking Teen also focused on the winning team.

Check out some of the other exciting media features below:

• Scripps Howard Foundation Wire - “Students revamp school lunches at national competition” (5/24/2012) Coverage also appears on Infozine.
• McClatchy DC - “Students give Congress a mouthful” (5/23/12), video also available on Medill DC.
• Prevent Obesity’s blog - “"Cooking Up Change" with Student Chefs” (5/22/12)
• Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale) - Hungry? (5/22/12)
• Department of Education’s “Homeroom” blog - “National Healthy Lunch Finals Held at ED” (5/22/12)
• Associated Press - “Winston-Salem students to compete for lunch title” (5/21/12) Article also appears online at Washington Examiner, The Ledger, Press Democrat, and Herald Tribune
• WFLD-TV (FOX affiliate) - “Chicago Cooking up Change Winners Exhibit Award-Winning Recipe” (5/16/12)
• James Beard Foundation’s “Delights and Prejudices” blog - “JBF Partners with Cooking up Change in the Fight for Better School Lunch” (5/15/12)

We’d also like to thank Washington D.C.’s local news service for spotlighting the contest. 

Congratulations to the amazing student chefs who participated in Cooking up Change!

 Bonus: Check out the Department of Education’s Flickr photos from the Cooking up Change event.

Cooking up Change National Healthy Cooking Contest Winners Reflect, Look Ahead

It has been quite a whirlwind for Cooking up Change champion Santa Ana student chefs Alex, Ivan, and Ashley since they won first place in the national healthy cooking contest.

We had a chance to catch up with the Valley High School culinary students as they reflected on their national win.

“It feels really emotional, really exciting,” said team member Alex. “We worked really hard to create a dish that was under a dollar and with the nutritional processes. It was quite challenging, but overall it was amazing.”

The first-time competitors prepared lemon and spinach chicken with Tuscan bean salad and cinnamon poached pears. (Pictured left)

A tearful chef instructor Monica Aguilar described the winning moment: “I was breathless, I was so very excited, beaming with pride for my students and what they've accomplished.”

“For the last three years, I’ve seen them grow amazingly,” she added. “In this last year with Cooking up Change, its been like a growth spurt for them. To see their character, their skill level, just the people they’ve come. It’s amazing and to see the transformation, it’s incredible.”

Each team member received a scholarship to further their education. All three aspiring chefs plan to attend Orange Coast College beginning this summer. Ivan is looking forward to starting his career. His teammate Ashley said her goal is to “continue our path, become culinary artists” and to continue to “take into deep consideration how being healthy is a actually a lifestyle. I’m looking forward to doing it in the future.”

Although they’ll be graduating this year and no longer eating school lunch, they understand the impact their meal has in creating meaningful change. “It might not impact us directly because we’re about to graduate from school, but we’ve seen the changes that people are trying make,” Ashley  said. “The fact that my niece and my little sister can have different food in school is better for everyone.”

The Cooking up Change Santa Ana student chefs Alex, Ashley, and Ivan

A proud Alex expressed his hopes for the future. “I hope we get a chance to serve our meal in our community and maybe local markets, present it and tell people more about it,” he said. “Thats my vision, I want to make a change. We are going to cook up change, we are going to change how everyone eats.”

Since returning home, the students have been featured in their local paper. They have also been spotlighted on NBC Los Angeles. Check out a special segment below:

Kudos Santa Ana!

Culinary Students Showcase What's Hot in School Food

On Monday, six teams of high school student chefs from across the country will come together in the nation’s capital to help transform the future of school food. These young culinary talents have been challenged to create a healthy, great-tasting school meal using the same ingredients commonly used in school kitchens. 

These students are great advocates for healthy, appealing school food. In crafting their lunches, many teams got feedback from their peers and incorporated the changes they want to see in the school cafeteria. Each team shared their inspiration and motivation in preparing a meal that their friends and classmates would love. What trends to they want to see in school food?

Denver’s cheesy chicken pasta baked with vegetable ragu, spinach and carrot muffin with carrot sticks, and a fruit and yogurt parfait

Students recognized the convenience of mobility at lunch time. Competitors in the Cooking up Change Chicago qualifying contest observed that they like school food you can eat with your hands. “Not using utensils when we eat [makes] it a lot easier, a lot faster. It’s more efficient,” one student said. This year, the Winston-Salem finalists created a healthful “el taco loco” wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla while Jacksonville created a chicken wrap.

Many of the teams created a school meal that catered to their peers’ tastes. Each team incorporated chicken into their meal, pointing out that students like the flavor and recognize it as a healthy option at lunchtime.

St. Louis’ lemon pepper chicken and brown rice with caesar salad and berry parfait

This year, Cooking up Change traveled to the West Coast. The Santa Ana trio created an appealing lunch (pictured below) that represents their vision for the future of school food. Alejandro "Alex" Hernández told the Orange County Register, “I know in my heart that I cooked a meal that will make a change.”

Santa Ana’s lemon and spinach chicken with Tuscan bean salad and cinnamon poached pears

Rose, one half of the St. Louis team, said she and her teammate wanted show their classmates different methods of cooking and preparation that they know their peers will enjoy once they give it a try. “We just wanted to create something that was healthier and elegant to open up our peers’ eyes,” she said. She added that creating this meal offered “a way to open up their eyes to see that there are different forms of cooking other than frying or deep frying.”

Winston-Salem’s chicken and vegetable taco in a whole wheat tortilla with black beans and veggies and a home-style tortilla apple pie

Cultural influences played a key role in students’ lunches. From Southern Creole to Italian to Latin American to West African cuisines, Cooking up Change student chefs wanted to share influences from around the world with their peers, pointing to a desire for variety in the lunchroom.

Jacksonville’s chicken imoyo wrap, jollof rice, and West African succotash

The Jacksonville team wanted their tray to send a message. The team wowed judges in the qualifying contest with a West African-inspired chicken imoyo wrap, Jollof rice, and West African succotash. Phillip said, “we went where no one else had gone.” Hannah explained that “we used simple ingredients that we take for granted every day here in the U.S.," adding that the team "wanted to raise awareness" of hunger issues.

The Chicago team will serve oven-fried chicken raised without the use of antibiotics. The team recently spoke about their meal at a briefing for Congress and shared the lessons they learned from visiting an Amish poultry farm where the chicken is raised. 

Chicago’s oven-fried chicken, "Cousins" collard greens & cabbage, and sweet potato salad

We can’t wait for the students to come together in Washington, DC! 

You can help these amazing young people send a resounding message to Congress: students deserve a healthy school lunch. The day after the competition, one dish from each team's meal will be served tomorrow at a briefing for Congress on the future of school food and for lunch in the Longworth cafeteria, which serves Congressional leaders and their staff. The students will speak at the briefing to share their experience in Cooking up Change and their perspective on the importance of healthy school food. Invite your legislators to meet these inspiring students and try the healthy lunches they’ve designed by sending a letter here.

Students Bring Healthy School Lunch to Congress: Invite Legislators and Staff to Try the Lunch!

Last week, the student chefs of Chicago Vocational Career Academy presented a healthy school meal they created for Cooking up Change Chicago at a special briefing on Capitol Hill! The lunch featured oven-fried chicken drumsticks from chicken raised without the use of antibiotics, just like much of the chicken on the menu at schools here in Chicago.

At the briefing, which was hosted by The Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming and School Food FOCUS along with HSC, school food leaders discussed the move by CPS to purchase 1.2 million pounds of these drumsticks from Amish farms in nearby Indiana to be scratch-cooked for lunch in the city’s schools.

The culinary students prepared for the briefing with a trip to Miller Poultry in Indiana, where they learned about farming practices and about how the chicken featured in their lunch is raised without the use of antibiotics. Student chef Diamonte B. said, “I think this trip really gave us a better understanding of what we are cooking and what happens to the food.”

With their knowledge of healthy school food -- and expert perspective on student preferences in the cafeteria -- the culinary students were stars at the Congressional briefing. Kudos to Ciara L., Sheanice D., Kaliah H., Diamonte B., Tatiana R. and Jerome S. for sharing their point of view and bringing their tasty, healthy school lunch to Congress.

Next week, the team will return to Capitol Hill to join five other teams from across the nation in speaking up for healthy school food! On Monday, they will compete in the Cooking up Change healthy cooking contest. On Tuesday, they will again share their meal and speak at a Congressional briefing on healthy school food. That day, samples of school lunches designed by each of the six teams will be served in the Longworth cafeteria, which serves Congressional leaders and their staff.

Lend your support to the students’ efforts by inviting your legislators and their staff to attend the briefing and enjoy the student-designed lunches in the cafeteria!



Stay posted for updates this week as the student teams get ready for the Cooking up Change national finals in D.C.!

Plus:  The CVCA team’s healthy lunch was in the spotlight in The Washington Post! Check out this great story, The chicken that flew from Chicago to Capitol Hill.