schools and nutrition

Question 1

why focus on school food?

Answer 1

• Access to most U.S. children through National School Lunch Program
• Ideal setting to combine education with environmental change
• Shift from medical model to public health model

Question 2

what is some evidence that school environment influences diet quality?

Answer 2

• Students on NSLP eat 2x the amount of fruits and veggies as others
• As students transition to middle school, diet deteriorates
• Students in schools without A La Carte eat more fruits and veggies, fewer calories from fat
• Schools with policies to limit food consumption have less obesity

Question 3

research on using schools to reduce childhood obesity?

Answer 3

• Several large scale studies have tested the impact of multi-component interventions (i.e. cooking methods, nutrition education)
• Changes in BMI and other health measures are inconsistent
• Most consistent: decreasing soda consumption and TV watching

Question 4

give a brief history of the NSLP?

Answer 4

• President Truman combined nutrition needs and agricultural system needs
• Original Dietary Rules
o RDA (recommended daily allowance) designed during WWII
o “Type A” meal for school lunch with certain standards
• Competitive Foods
o A problem from the beginning
o 1970 Congress gave USDA authority to control all lunch food at schools
o Ensured that food service got the revenue from competition
o Disabled other groups from fundraising through vending, bake sales, etc.
o 1972 Lobbying by school officials and soft drink companies – USDA loses authority
o 1977 Lobbying by food service restored USDA authority
• Foods of Minimal Nutritional Value (FMNV)
o 1978 USDA banned FMNVs from being sold after lunch (i.e. popsicles, gum)
o Left out French fries, ice cream…
o Health advocates said not restrictive enough (no limits on sugar salt or fat)
o Food Industry response: forged letters of objection, suing government
o New rule: No FMNV during lunch; allowed before/after
o But stores, vending machines and fundraisers could sell anything outside lunch
• 1980 Funding cut, participation dropped, image changed, nutrition deteriorated
o Battle between nutrition and econ grows
o Competitive foods sold by food service grew
o Inconsistency in USDA advice vs. NSLP meals
• 1990 Increased attention to nutrition
o New dietary guidelines
• Gov’t supervises schools – only 1 percent met guidelines

Question 5

what are two things that marlene schwartz learned from her experience?

Answer 5

1. Food service is self-supporting; need snacks to compensate for low lunch sales
2. Most teachers want to stop having parties in classroom, but afraid of the parents

Question 6

what are marlene schwartz’ 9 steps to creating change?

Answer 6

1. Assess parent attitudes (survey)
   o Many wanted healthier food
2. Assess children’s nutrition and health (BMI data)
   o Significant amount of children were overweight
   o Poor diets
3. Pick your first set of battles
   o Food service agreed to remove snacks and give healthy lunch options (wraps, soups, salads)
   o Principals asked parents to bring in healthy snacks for birthdays
4. Be prepared for negative responses
   o Most parents happy to see food service change its behavior
   o But once asked to change their own behavior, they got defensive
5. Be prepared to walk the walk
   o Didn’t let daughter have cupcakes on b-day
   o Some say less snacks at school causes binging at home – an intervention study disproved this (home rates stayed the same)
6. Be prepared to find research to address concerns

• CT Healthy Food Pilot Study
o Pilot schools removed all snacks/beverages that didn’t meet guidelines
o Pilot schools didn’t lose money when they made changes
o A la carte sales went down, but lunch sales went up
o Middle school students in pilot schools ate more healthy snacks, drank more water, ate fewer junk snacks
o “Serving” vs. “Offering”
• Children who chose fruit just as likely to eat it as children “served” fruit
7. Get involved in state politics
o Research Question:
• How much will policies improve the school food and beverage environment?
• Will local wellness policies improve all school districts similarly or increase disparities?
• Food environment equally bad in high and low income districts
o CT Law changed: Specific nutrition standards set for school foods, participating districts received money from state
8. Use Carrot and Stick Approaches
o Evaluate each school
9. Follow growth of national movement to normalize local affairs
• Ann Cooper (professional chef) revamped school cafeterias

• Jamie Oliver (Food Revolution)
• First Lady Michelle Obama (“Let’s Move”) etc.

Question 7

conclusions?

Answer 7

• Schools were the first battleground in the fight to change the food environment
• The controversies that emerged represent those we are likely to see in other efforts