Sue Scheff: Food Revolution – What is in your child’s lunches?

The news today of childhood obesity, the food revolution now being created into a reality show with Jamie Oliver, parents are becoming more aware of what their kids are eating and what schools are serving.

10 Shocking Facts About Your School’s Cafeteria Food

By Samantha Miller

In spite of their ubiquity and undeniable necessity, many school cafeterias across the world have fallen victim to hefty criticism regarding their prominent role in the rise of obesity and its related health issues in the United States. Because childhood and adolescent eating habits come to influence those later found in college and work environments, it is integral that they learn and understand how to make the best choices when it comes to selecting nutritious meals and snacks for themselves. The following facts – whether the titular “shocks” come as negatives or positives – provide a brief, well-rounded glimpse into the fundamentals of what needs vast improving and what is currently opening doors to empowering children and teenagers towards taking charge of their bodies and diets to ensure the most physically stable future possible.

1. The annual mean wage of those serving school cafeteria food is $21,450 a year.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that cafeteria workers in elementary and secondary schools – of which there were around 31,350 in 2008 – earn an average yearly mean wage of $21,450. This comes to around $10.32 per hour. Should the cafeteria worker in question support a family containing four people or more with these wages as the only source of income, he or she would meet the United States Department of Health and Human Services poverty guidelines for the 48 contiguous states and Washington, DC. In Alaska, a family of 3 trying to survive off this salary is considered living in poverty, and the same size would be only just above the criteria in Hawaii. A family of 4 in the latter faces considerable poverty. Working in a cafeteria entails considerable physical taxation, with quite a bit of time spent on the feet. Preparing and reheating large amounts of food requires involved labor that puts quite a bit of stress on the arms, back, and legs especially.

2. Food poisoning is not common, but it happens more than it should.

A 2004 investigative report by Dateline pulled back the curtain on many of the practices and issues associated with preparing and consuming school cafeteria food. Though thankfully considered “isolated incidents” in most areas, the fact that at one point 45 students and a teacher in a St. Louis school all fell ill with food poisoning – some of which had to undergo hospitalization – after eating cafeteria offerings demands pause. Especially considering that, in the same year, 7 students and a teacher in New Jersey suffered from salmonella as a result of opting for cafeteria food. There are numerous reasons for why food poisoning can seep into a school’s meals, too. Inadequate equipment in older schools can lead to poorly cooked food that harbors dangerous bacteria. Bits of edible detritus strewn about the floor can attract pests such as cockroaches and rats. Some cafeterias, like one in Detroit mentioned in the article, are unable to provide their workers with the supplies needed to sanitize their hands and equipment before preparing meals. These and other serious issues can all lead to the spread of food-borne illnesses. While gratifyingly rare, this still means that many school districts are carelessly playing “Russian roulette” with the very students they are trying to protect and educate. Most cases of food poisoning do not require hospitalization or result in a death, of course, but they can still make the victim feel ill enough to keep from attending classes.

3. School cafeterias can face numerous health violations.

Dateline’s companion piece to the previous article points out the myriad critical health violations that have been slapped on cafeteria workers and establishments. Most of these – such as the presence of vermin, ill employees handling food, improper temperatures, inadequate hand washing, poorly labeled toxic cleaning supplies, dirty utensils and equipment, and cross-contamination – can lead to extreme sickness, hospitalization, and even death depending on the gravity of the offense. School cafeterias generally receive their inspections from the local health department, though some independent agencies may perform them as well. Full reports can be found online through those with their own websites, and those without will provide them in person or over the phone. Invoking the Freedom of Information Act may be a requirement for some of these, however. In order to understand every implication of these reports, reviewing all of the data available through the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety Research Information Office will provide all the necessary terms and concepts that go into keeping consumables safe and healthy.

4. Kids really DO go for healthier options!

Stereotype dictates that students gravitate towards unhealthy snacks laden with sugar, caffeine, grease, sodium, preservatives, and other little nasties. The prevalence of vending machines that distribute these “junk foods” (and drinkshas fallen under quite a bit of criticism for its correlation with childhood obesity and associated health problems. However, these vending machines allegedly give the kids what they want as well as generating some modicum of funding for the school. Those with sponsorship by fast food chains and major soda purveyors grow especially reluctant to discourage these unhealthy eating and drinking habits lest Pizza Hut or Pepsi pull out. A positive article penned by freelance writer and journalist Michael Maser and hosted at Arizona State University looks into how one school cafeteria in Colquitlam, British Columbia, Canada began offering fresh, organic, and whole grain options alongside the usual fare. Even when charging between $2.50 and $4, teachers and students alike flocked towards the soups, salads, and baked goods – voicing their appreciation at the school’s efforts to broaden their offerings and cater to those concerned about ingesting too many unpleasantries. Another case study at an Appleton, Wisconsin alternative school showed promise when students were provided access to free juices and whole-wheat bagels and enthusiastically embraced them over sodas and candy. Kids are far more aware of how to eat healthy than many people believe, and allowing them to make a choice for themselves may very well result in some pleasing surprises.

5. Some school cafeterias have opted to support local farmers.

In the interest of offering more healthy options for the student and teaching population, many school cafeterias have taken the initiative to connect with local farmers as a means of promoting sustainability and minimizing their negative impact on the environment. From an institution frequently associated with stagnation and poor quality, this move is certainly shocking – albeit in an extremely positive way! The Farm to School Lunch Program is one of the most visible organizations which develops relationships between school cafeterias and local farmers and producers. It supports at least one school district in every state except Nevada and South Dakota. No program exists in Puerto Rico, either, though they are more than willing to set one up if interest is expressed. At least 8,943 schools and 2,104 school districts are somehow involved or affiliated with The Farm to School Lunch Program thus far, and all the information is available on the website for those interested in joining up. In addition to providing schools with healthier alternatives to the usual greasy piles of salt and preservatives and drumming up much-needed business for local agricultural, the program also serves another exceedingly valuable purpose. Their services also include comprehensive educational services for students, faculty and staff members, and parents to learn everything they can about making the right choices when it comes to food and learning about how farms operate to deliver the safest, most flavorful produce and meat possible.

6. The National School Lunch Program helped nourish 30.5 million children in 2008.

The National School Lunch Program offered through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service very tragically exists as the only venue through which millions of children in America receive their daily meal (or meals). Over 101,000 public and nonprofit private schools in the country take advantage of the program, offering free or reduced-cost lunches (and breakfast in many casesto 30.5 million qualified students from impoverished households. It even reimburses schools for offering snacks to them during afterschool activities as well. All food provided to these kids must meet the requirements set forth by the 1995 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and offer up at least 1/3 of the Recommended Dietary Allowances of Vitamins A and C, protein, iron, calcium, and calories. However, how this nutrition eventually reaches the students in question is left in the hands of the local schools that set down the menus in the first place. To qualify for completely free meals, a child must come from a household with an income at or below 130% of the poverty level. Those whose families earn between 130% and 185% of the poverty level receive low-cost breakfasts and lunches with prices never to exceed 40¢.

7. Thousands of school cafeterias do not even undergo health inspections.

USA Today released an article in 2009 stating that 26,500 school cafeterias either never underwent the proper health and sanitation inspections or only submitted to one of the two required by the Child Nutrition Act. In 2008, 8,500 schools entirely skirted an inspection altogether, while 18,000 sprang for half the legally mandated number. The article itself opens by discussing a 2005 incident in Dickinson, North Dakota-based Trinity High School to underscore the extreme importance of opening up cafeterias to government inspections. When a cafeteria worker began recovering from a weekend illness, she still popped into the school the following Monday and began chopping lettuce for salads. By Wednesday, at least 52 students and 8 faculty and staff members fell victim to the norovirus – a condition similar to stomach flu that affected around 7,500 school-aged children in the span of the past decade. One of the most common food-borne sicknesses, this particular outbreak came when the employee in question failed to wear gloves while preparing the days’ meals. In spite of the law, the United States Department of Agriculture admitted to USA Today that they remain extremely difficult to fully enforce due to the sheer volume of schools and resources required to inspect them – a disconcerting confession considering that an associated Gallup Poll revealed that 50% of parents surveyed declared themselves “somewhat confident” in the government’s attempts to ensure a clean, safe cafeteria experience for their children. Because of these schools’ lamentable, deplorable negligence, norovirus and other serious health hazards get to enjoy a horrible spread.

8. Some school lunch pizzas contain up to 25 different ingredients.

This number does not, of course, reflect the number of ingredients in each individual ingredient such as the sauce, crust, cheese, and toppings. Rather, it is an indicator of the preservatives, additives, and sheer filler of many popular cafeteria menu staples. The New York Daily News penned a 2010 article on how unhealthy food still finds its way into school lunches in spite of numerous attempts by the United States Department of Education to reduce or eliminate the use of high fructose corn syrup, fat, calories, and preservatives. It has followed through on its promises in some areas, though there is much, much more that needs doing to ensure the most nutritious lunches possible. Some of the ingredients found in the aforementioned pizza include azodicarbonamide – a food bleach which pulls double duty as a plastic defoaming agent – and the additives sodium stearoyl lactylate and diacetyl tartaric ester of monoglyceride (DATEM). In spite of the Department of Education’s supposed full deletion of high fructose corn syrup in order to combat childhood obesity, the substance still crops up in ketchup and chocolate milk. While they have achieved some success in reducing the amount of fat and calories found in cafeteria meals, dishes such as the ubiquitous mozzarella sticks still contain 21 grams of fat. Beef chili carries with it a whopping 27 grams, which a cited nutritionist states is more than half of the daily intake recommended for children. School districts in New York and beyond still struggle with trying to find the funding to offer up healthier options – many earnestly desire to provide a salad bar, but can only afford to contribute lettuce and one or two toppings. In many cases, the greasier, saltier, sweeter, preservative-laden food is made available not because the schools care little for the well-being of their students – it is almost always a matter of budget issues.

9. Some cafeterias now boast their own vegetable gardens.

Similar to the schools who forge interdependent relationships with local farms, the Center for Food and Justice at Occidental College discusses in depth how every school district in Los Angeles is hoping to establish their own gardens to supply cafeterias with fresh, organic vegetables. While this approach may not necessarily work for every district or school in the United States, the case studies thus far have proven highly positive, successful, and gratifying with the cooperation and hard work of students, faculty, staff, and parents. Organizations such as Better School Food promote school gardens across the country because of their multitude of benefits. Beyond the nutritional value, the vegetables coming from these projects minimize the pollutants that come from shipping, offer a productive afterschool activity that promotes structure and confidence, and nurtures a sense of pride, self-reliance, and independence in the students who participate. It also makes for an excellent, first-hand education in how plants grow and transition from garden to kitchen as well. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health provides a wealth of information on a few different garden programs in the United States and how to use their strategies as a model for establishing one in interested areas.

10. What kids eat at school sets the tone for what they eat at home.

CNN reported in 2003 that exposure to greasy food heavy with preservatives, sodium, and calories desensitizes children towards accepting their frequent consumption as perfectly acceptable. Noshing on nutrient-deprived slice of pizza or fried wad of pressed chicken bits eventually becomes normalized, routine – to the point where their afternoon snacks start to reflect what they had for lunch. It dulls their ability to make the right choices when it comes to potato chips versus carrot sticks as a suitable, healthy snack – especially when one considers that an education in proper nutrition sends a heavily mixed message once juxtaposed with “junk food” in the school cafeteria. University of Minnesota researcher Martha Kubik and her team observed teenagers from 16 middle schools, collecting data on their eating habits for a 24-hour period. 3 of the institutions studied did not provide their students with a la carte options such as pizza and fries, and their attendees were more likely to gravitate towards more nutritious snacks outside of school. Students for whom a la care options – which are not regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture – sporting disconcertingly unhealthy attributes were regularly available tended to prefer snacks such as potato chips and candy bars once at home.

Whether pleasing or disconcerting, these shocking facts peel back the curtain and open up concerned students, parents, faculty, staff, and communities to the realities behind school cafeterias. There is still much that needs improving in the areas of wages, poverty in America, sanitation, inspection, and nutrition, but many schools have already launched successful programs that nurture healthy choices and practices in their students to address some of the comparatively “easier” problems. Whether they involve school gardens or seminars on what constitutes a well-balanced meal versus one that tacks on eventual health issues, the districts and institutions taking charge to truly, comprehensively educate the student population on where their food comes from and how to choose the options that will build their bodies up instead of breaking them down.

If you have question or comments, please email Samantha Miller at samanthamiller19@gmail.com.

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