Green Cafeteria Food
(Green School Lunches - Part 1)
by Liesl Bradner
Green cafeteria food - in the past this usually meant mystery meat surprise was on the menu. But no jokes about it - school cafeterias need to be greener in the organic, healthy and preservative-free way.
Despite the push of recent school-nutrition legislation such as “The Farm Ranch Equity Stewardship and Health Fresh Act of 2007,” which aims to make healthy, local foods available for children, nine out of 10 U.S. schools “a la carte programs” do not meet the U.S. government’s nutritional recommendations, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Busy parents are left high and dry and forced to have their children choose between low-grade, processed or sugar-laden junk food at school. Typical menu items offered to students consist of high-fat foods like pizza, fries, hot dogs, cheeseburgers, macaroni and cheese, and chicken nuggets. Not only are they not very appetizing but are made with highly processed, unpronounceable ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and artificial sweeteners. All of which can cause obesity, diabetes, tooth decay and attention deficit disorder.
Recent studies show that American children are fatter than ever. For the first time the life spans of today’s children are predicted to be shorter than their parents if they don’t change their eating habits.
Parents have no fear! Numerous innovative companies have come to the rescue with healthy options to aid in this nationwide battle. Stoneyfield Farms and Dole are replacing vending machines filled with junk food with their improved versions that carry healthier items such as organic power bars, dried fruit, pirate’s booty, sugar free cookies and organic yogurt.
Other businesses such as Fresh Lunches (Los Angeles, San Diego, Boston) Max’s Organic Planet (Chicago), FreshGen Kids (Tempe, AZ), Green Quizine (Clearwater, FL) and Fresh Express (Australia and New Zealand) just to name a few, are offering organic food delivery right to your children’s classroom. By bringing pre-packed, individually ordered lunches fresh every day, parents no longer have to trade health for convenience.
Most of these services follow the same format - parents and children create their individualized meals on-line choosing an entrée, side orders, drink and a dessert. The meals are prepared fresh every morning in FDA approved facilities and are delivered to the school using temperature controlled vans in time for lunch. Each lunch pack is labeled with children’s names and grades. Prices range from $4-$8 a day.
By offering a wide variety of choices, picky kids don’t get bored of eating the same thing every day. Ordering can be done up to one-month in advance and parents can elect to order once a week or everyday of the month. Keeping in tune with the environment, all of the packing is recyclable or bio-degradable.
Other projects encouraging healthier, eco-friendly school lunches include The Edible Schoolyard Project in Berkley, where students eat food made from their own campus garden and Promise Academy Charter School in Harlem which serves local food and sponsors a farmers market.
These are just a few of the other ways schools can get on the organic, green wagon. To paraphrase Whitney Houston, “We believe our children are our future, FEED them well and let them lead the way.” With these new programs underway there is still plenty we can do to help keep our children healthy (and green) in school.