Schools

Private companies help meet parent demand for nutritious and tasty school foods produced in a sustainable manner - and turn lunch program into profit center

By Annette Fuentes

The New York Times 2011-03-31

Standout kindergarten teachers have lifelong effect on students, increasing their chances of college, earning and saving money, decreasing risk of single parenthood, study shows

By David Leonhardt

The New York Times 2010-07-27

Lack of availability and fragmented distribution network of small producers, farmers slows schools, hospitals looking to include local food sources

By Jay Field

National Public Radio/Morning Edition 2010-05-03

DC council launching "gold standard" wellness regimen that limits sodium, fat, refined items in school meals, increases P.E. time; soda tax mulled

By Tim Craig

The Washington Post 2010-05-02

Blog: Denver schoolchildren, communities plant seeds of change in school cafeteria

By Rebecca Jones

InDenver 2010-03-18

In France, children learn the rules before they can hold a knife: sit down, take your time, because food is serious business

By Vivienne Walt

Time magazine 2010-02-23

Opinion: Gardens secondary to helping vulnerable pupils "read Shakespeare and laugh at the right places"

By Caitlin Flanagan

The Atlantic 2010-01-10

As quality of school lunches improves, pushing prices up, participation falls in UK, study shows

By Graeme Paton

The Telegraph (UK) 2010-01-04

School, partially funded by Hershey, complicates Cadbury bid

School, partially funded by Hershey, complicates Cadbury bid

mhs-pa.org

By Sean Scully

Time magazine 2009-12-15

Seeking federally funded school lunches in Canada

Leading food thinkers want Canada to create national, federally funded school food program as centerpiece for national food policy, arguing that it could address children's soaring obesity rates, poverty, learning challenges that come with poor nutrition. School food, they say, can teach policy makers to harness power of food to improve health, environment, agriculture, local economies. Lunch program in Scotland, with local procurement strategy, delivers fresh, unprocessed ingredients for school meals, pumped $466,460 into struggling region, reduced carbon footprint of each school.

By Margaret Webb

The Star (Toronto) 2009-10-13

School lunch provider turns out low-budget fresh meals

School lunch provider turns out low-budget fresh meals

Though providing a tasty school meal can increase attendance, boost student focus and improve lifelong eating habits, federal deficit makes school lunch reform funding unlikely. But Revolution Foods turns out thousands of made-from-scratch meals that meet USDA standards for about $3 each (feds pay $2.68). Company shuns high-fructose corn syrup, serves only hormone- and antibiotic-free meat; it cuts deals with purveyors, offers payment plans for schools. Skeptic says that charter schools understand link between nutrition and education, but worries that taking on public school bureaucracies will be difficult. And: Businesses help close school meal funding gap (click 'See also').

By Jane Black

The Washington Post 2009-09-30

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In some school cafeterias, chefs cook against all odds

Many advocates for better, healthier school food call for return to cooking real, fresh food, but barely half of New York's 1,385 school kitchens have enough cooking and fire-suppression equipment to allow it. Plus, staff isn't trained to do much more than steam frozen vegetables, dig ravioli out of a six-pound can or heat frozen chicken patties. In one school, parents declared victory when they persuaded cooks to boil water and cook pasta. One bonus is that children are happier at lunch, principal notes.

By Kim Severson

The New York Times 2009-09-30

School plans meal deliveries in case of flu-related closing

If H1N1/swine flu closes North Carolina city school system, workers will deliver lunches and snacks to children eligible for free and reduced-price lunches - nearly half of Asheville students. Child nutrition director hopes that planning for flu crisis will smooth way to summer meal delivery. And: Nationally, at least 18.5 million low-income students expected for school lunches, 8.5 million-plus expected for breakfast (click 'See also').

By Ashley Wilson

Citizen-Times (Asheville, NC) 2009-09-04

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Window opens wide for school meals reform efforts

School food reform efforts, pushed by diet-related disease epidemic and nurtured by Obama administration, take root. USDA focusing on improving student health through better food, expected to upgrade nutrition standards this year. Agency also is studying farm-to-school, urban school food programs. NY senator's bill would ban trans fats, allow USDA to set tougher standards for a la carte items sold alongside subsidized school lunches. And: School lunch program, part of Child Nutrition Act that Congress takes up this fall, is focused path to food policy reform (click 'See also').

By Kim Severson

The New York Times 2009-08-19

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Opinion: With Child Nutrition Act, Congress must keep children's well-being, not industry, in mind

With upcoming reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, which regulates National School Lunch Program, Congress must reform policies that encourage children to eat unhealthy foods and that contribute to obesity epidemic, rising health-care costs. In 2007, the government allocated majority of child nutrition funds to meat, dairy, and eggs, only about 20 percent to fruits, vegetables. And: Primer on the bill, and how to get involved (click 'See also').

By Susan Levine

McClatchy-Tribune News Service; The Miami Herald 2009-08-02

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Radical chef transforming Baltimore's school lunch program

Radical chef transforming Baltimore's school lunch program

Gourmet.com

Tony Geraci served 82,000 local peaches to Baltimore students on the first day of school last fall; for some children, it was their first taste of a fresh peach.

Tony Geraci runs Baltimore schools food service and campaigns for it, renovating old farm as incubator for gardens he wants at each of 200-plus schools, planning for student-run cafes with goal of involving students in food at every step. Students deserve to eat delicious, healthful meals; those meals help students learn, says chef and former chicken nuggets broker turned radical. About 74 percent of 83,000 students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. And: 'We've lost an entire generation of children to obesity and poor nutrition, and we're about to lose another one if we don't reach our hands into the fire and pull them back out and start doing the right thing,' he says (click 'See also').

By Jane Black

The Washington Post 2009-05-06

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Opinion: Ban all junk food at schools

Despite progress in providing more healthful foods in schools through federal meals program, junk foods abound outside the program. New legislation to give USDA authority over all food sold at schools should be supported to help stem epidemic of childhood obesity, diet-related diseases. And: Take this quiz to see if you know junk food (click 'See also').

The editors

The New York TImes 2009-04-26

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Growing at school:

Elementary and junior-high students in Missouri learn horticulture from ground to farmers' market; school garden holds potatoes, green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash and corn.

By Greg Grisolano

The Joplin Globe (MO) 2007-08-15

Growing lessons:

Vermont school, working with local farmers and agricultural experts, plants garden designed to feed its 200 students homegrown vegetables at lunchtime, teaching a way of life, not only nutrition or fitness.

By Nicole Orne

Brattleboro Reformer (VT)

Opinion: Hungry children, fed:

Government's subsidies to the very rich need to be addressed, but Congress should follow lead of the House in tending to nutrition needs of very poor around the world via the Food for Education program in the farm/food bill.

The editors

The Daily News Tribune (MA) 2007-08-28