Poll finds parents overwhelmingly support more nutritious school food; USDA expected to issue new guidelines

Photo by Reuters' Lucy Nicholson

Chocolate bars, Cheetos and cheesy fries may soon be a thing of the past at public schools in America, and that's fine with parents, a new poll has found.

The survey found "most people agreed the chips, soda and candy bars students buy from vending machines or school stores in addition to breakfast and lunch are not nutritious, and they support a national standard for foods sold at schools," reports Susan Heavey for Reuters.

As it did for school lunch earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is expected to release new guidelines for vending machines and à la carte sales by June, some experts say.

In Kentucky, schools are already not allowed to sell food that competes with the national school lunch and breakfast programs from the minute students arrive in the morning until 30 minutes after the last lunch period. Only water, 100 percent fruit juice, lowfat milk and any beverage that contains no more than 10 grams of sugar per serving are allowed to be sold in school vending machines, as per state mandate. There are no limits as to what food or drinks that can be sold in fundraisers.

The poll, conducted by advocacy group Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project, found 80 percent of the 1,010 adults surveyed said they would support nutritional standards that limit the calories, fat and sodium in such schools.

Students eat one-fifth to one-half of their daily diet at schools, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report 20 percent of American children are obese, As of 2007 in Kentucky, more than 37 percent of children were either obese or overweight, a study by the National Conference of State Legislatures shows.

A study by the National Academy of Sciences reports that about $2.3 billion worth of snack food and drinks are sold each year in schools nationwide. As such, changes might be controversial. The new guidelines for school lunch met with resistance from lawmakers, who "locked limits to french fries and counted pizza as a vegetable because it contains tomato sauce," Heavey reports.  There are concerns industry lobbyists and members of Congress could dilute the USDA proposals. (Read more)

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New federal rules on vending machines in schools are expected in the next few weeks

With new lunch standards set to kick in by next school year, the Obama administration is looking at its next target in the school food landscape: vending machines. New guidelines are expected to be released in the coming weeks "for foods that children can buy outside the cafeteria," reports Ron Nixon of The New York Times. Kentucky already has some rules in place, may get stronger as a result of the new guidelines. (NYT photo by Kirsten Luce)

Students eat from one-fifth to one-half of their daily diet at schools, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report 20 percent of American children are obese. As of 2007 in Kentucky, more than 37 percent of children were either obese or overweight, a study by the National Conference of State Legislatures shows. The administration wants to ensure that students eat what is good for them and avoid becoming overweight, Nixon reports, but there is strong pushback from the food and beverage industries.

A study by the National Academy of Sciences reports that about $2.3 billion worth of snack food and drinks are sold each year in schools nationwide. Schools have a stake in the fight as well, with candy sold in fundraisers often used to help pay for sports, music and arts programs. In Kentucky, the changeover to water, lowfat milk and fruit juices caused a downturn in revenue from the machines, but in most cases it appears to have rebounded to earlier levels.

The forthcoming guidelines are unknown, but officials predict they will be similar to the changes in the school lunch program, which reduced sugar, salt and fat. Those changes were a compromise after a fight between health advocates and the food industry. Nancy Huehnergarth, executive director of the New York State Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Alliance, said she expects another fight. "I think the food and beverage industry is going to fight tooth and nail over these rules," she said.

In Kentucky, schools are not allowed to sell food that competes with the national school lunch and breakfast programs from the minute students arrive until 30 minutes after the last lunch period. Only water, 100 percent fruit juice, lowfat milk and any beverage that contains no more than 10 grams of sugar per serving are allowed to be sold in school vending machines, as per state mandate. There are no limits as to what foods or drinks that can be sold in fundraisers. (Read more)

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National School Breakfast Week to be observed March 5-9

National School Breakfast Week, an observance meant to increase awareness of the availability of the federal School Breakfast Program, will be held from March 5 to 9 this year.

Research has shown students who eat breakfast score better on tests, have fewer health issues and are better behaved, says a press release from the Kentucky Department of Education. In Kentucky, about 190,000 students eat breakfast at school each day, which represents about 30 percent of public school enrollment, said spokeswoman Lisa Gross. The numbers are not broken down by district.

Schools are encouraged to participate in a spirit contest whose winners will be given a certificate of excellence by Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday. Schools can plan festivities and then share what they've done to celebrate the event. Winners will be recognized April 19. The deadline to enter is March 22. For more information about contest rules, click here.

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Michelle Obama announces nationwide contest to fight childhood obesity; $500,000 in prizes

As part of her Let's Move initiative to fight childhood obesity, First Lady Michelle Obama announced a contest today that will give away $500,000 in prizes. The Active Schools Acceleration Project will reward the most "creative, impactful and scalable school-based programs and technological innovations that promote physical activity for children," a press release reads.

"We know there's so much good work going on all across this country to get our kids up and moving every single day," Obama said. "So we want to find the best school programs and technology ideas that increase physical activity for kids — and then help them reach even more children throughout America."

The competition features two categories: school programs and technology innovation. Teachers, schools or entire districts can submit their in-school activity programs, which could include a curriculum, activity, environmental modification, event or other initiative. The technology innovation category can include devices, tracking and measurement systems, software applications, social media, gaming and smart phones that encourage kids to be physically active.

Applications will be accepted through April 2. For more information, click here.

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41 Kentucky high schools receive grants for nutrition, exercise, tobacco prevention to be planned by students

More than 40 Kentucky high schools will receive grants to improve student nutrition, increase physical activity or prevent tobacco use. The "Students Taking Charge" program will have students assessing their school environment and coming up with and implementing an action plan to create healthy changes.

"We have to create programs that get our young people involved in the process and on the path to lifelong health and wellness," said Victoria Greenwell, administrator for the state Department of Public Health's Coordinated School Health program and co-chair of Kentucky Action for Healthy Kids. "If we wait until children are grown to introduce them to healthy environments or sensible eating and exercise plans, it's often too late. We have to act now to instill the values of leading a healthy lifestyle."

Just 16.7 percent of Kentucky students reported eating five servings of fruit and vegetables every day and under 40 percent of students said they had been active for an hour on five days during a week, the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found. The survey also found nearly 1 in 3 students said they'd used a tobacco product in the past 30 days.

To see which schools received a grant and for more information, click here.

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USDA issues new school lunch rules; not as broad as first written, but will make meals healthier

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released new, finalized requirements that will make school lunch a healthier meal for students.

The guidelines will mean:

• Students will be given both fruit and vegetables every school day.

• More foods will be made with whole grains.

• Students will be offered only fat-free or low-fat milk.

• Calories will be limited by portion size, based on the age of children being served.

• There will be less saturated fat and trans-fats in the food served.

• The amount of sodium will decrease gradually over the next 10 years.

Though the changes represent the first school-lunch overhaul in 15 years, they are not as comprehensive as the Obama administration initially wanted them to be. A bill passed late last year "would require the department to allow tomato paste on pizzas to be counted as a vegetable, as it is now," reports Mary Clare Jalonick of The Associated Press. "The initial draft of the department's guidelines, released a year ago, would have prevented that." Congress also kept USDA from limiting potatoes to two servings a week. Potato farmers and frozen-pizza companies lobbied hard against those proposals, some conservatives said the government shouldn't be telling children what to eat, and some school districts said the changes were too broad and too expensive.

Some of the changes will be incorporated by September, and others will be phased in. The changes affect lunches that are subsidized by the federal government in the National School Lunch Program, which serves 32 million children. Participation rates are very high in Kentucky. The Covington and Owsley County school districts have the highest percentage of students — 88 percent — eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Magoffin County has the second highest with 86 percent followed by Newport (85 percent); Bell County (83 percent); and West Point Independent in Hardin County (81 percent). (Read more)

The changes are aimed in part at curbing childhood obesity. That has also been the target of measure to limit junk food in schools, which have been called into question. A recent study of almost 20,000 students found no link between junk food at school and weight gain in children. "The researchers examined the children's weight and found that in the eighth grade, 35.5 percent of kids in schools with junk food were overweight while 34.8 percent of those in schools without it were overweight — a statistically insignificant increase," reports Benjamin Radford of Discovery News. (Read more)

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Rockcastle County school board nixes ban on smoking at schools

While more than 30 Kentucky communities have banned smoking in enclosed public places, and about as many school districts have imposed a total ban, many districts remain resistant to the idea. This month the Rockcastle County Board of Education turned down a smoking ban that would have allowed designated smoking areas at athletic events but no smoke breaks for employees.

"Four of the five board members expressed opposition to the ban, including Mike Burdette, who said he didn't feel it was right to tell an adult they cannot use a legal product on grounds their taxes pay for," reported  the Mount Vernon Signal. Other board members said they didn't like the fact that the proposal from the administration did not include smoke breaks since employees "can't leave school during the day except for designated reasons."

The Signal reported that Superintendent Larry Hammond "put forth the argument that research has shown that second- and even third-hand smoke can be harmful to students," but only Board Chairman Martin Vanzant supported the proposal. To a member who suggested that the ban be delayed for two or three years, he said that would be "postponing the inevitable." (Read more)

In Kentucky, "All 174 school systems have restrictions of some sort on the use of tobacco products on their campuses, and any that allow staff smoking have designated areas," Brad Hughes of the Kentucky School Boards Association told Kentucky health News. "About 30 have a total ban."

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Generals in Kentucky, the national leader in young-adult obesity, say the 'too fat to fight' trend is endangering national security

Recent commanders of the Kentucky National Guard say the country could be at risk because America's youth is too fat to fight, and they urge Congress to take action. A study recently showed more than half of adults 18 to 24 in Kentucky are overweight or obese — the highest share of any state. Nationally, one in four young adults are too overweight to enlist.

"What can we do to combat child obesity and help expand the pool of young adults qualified for military service?" former Adjutant Gens. Donald Storm (right), Michael Davidson and D. Allen Youngman write in an op-ed piece for Kentucky newspapers. "School is a good place to start. Many children consume nearly half of their daily calories at school, and more than half of kids eat at least one meal served in school every day."

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which updates school nutrition standards for the first time in decades and provides more funding for each meal served in school cafeterias, is a step in the right direction, they say, "but more is needed to prevent our childhood obesity crisis from becoming a national security crisis."

Updating school equipment and personnel seem necessary. A recent survey of 13 southeastern Kentucky school districts found that nine use deep fryers and only five use salad bars. The survey also found that the vast majority of districts do not have the funds necessary to update or repair equipment that will be needed to comply with the new nutrition standards. Also, 11 of the 13 school food-service directors said their cafeteria workers need more training in order to be prepared for new standards.

"We are urging members of Congress to help schools meet the standards of the new child-nutrition law and provide additional support for kitchen equipment and training," they write. "These funds will help ensure that all of our children can lead healthy lives and that those who wish to serve their country are fit enough to do so." (Read more)

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Signups due tomorrow for nutrition workshops June 29-July 1

Tomorrow is the deadline to register for two affiliated workshops that will focus on school nutrition and the overall health of Kentucky children. The Coordinated School Health Institute will focus on how schools and communities can work toward creating healthier schools. The Growing Healthy Kids in Kentucky workshop will address how to create healthy, hunger-free communities.

The CSHI event is June 29. The Growing Healthy Kids gathering is June 30 and July 1. Both events will be at the Marriott Griffin Gate Hotel in Lexington. All school staff, community organizations, parents, dietitians, nurses, school food service staff, journalists and any stakeholder in the health of Kentucky children are welcome.

The CSHI workshop will cover topics focusing on fitness, staff wellness, school health services, mental health, school nutrition and Medicaid managed care. It is presented by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.

The two-day Growing Healthy Kids event will address physical activity, farm-to-school success stories, local foods, the Let's Move initiative, Kentucky Proud, breastfeeding, worksite wellness and culinary arts programs. It is sponsored by the Kentucky Dietetic Association.

Click here to register online. The cost for both events if $205. For more information, click here.

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