Vermont school cafeterias to improve nutrition

http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/RH/20061019/NEWS/610190349/1004/SPORTS

October 19, 2006
The Associated Press
WINOOSKI — Students can get french fries at the Winooski High School cafeteria, but they have to wait until the last 10 minutes of their lunch period — the hope being that by then, they've filled up on something more nutritious.It's one of myriad steps Vermont schools are taking to fight to epidemic of obesity in young people. Whole-wheat pizza and low-fat milk are becoming the norm. Some schools even offer salad bars.Some schools have gone all-out, taking foods high in fat and sodium off the menu and replacing them with nutritious, locally grown foods. Others are just keeping pace with changes in state and federal standards for school lunches.Schools have two options for meeting the standards that are required for their food programs to get crucial federal funding. They can go with traditional menu planning, just adding in more fruits, vegetables and grains.Or they can use what's called the nutrient-standard menu planning option, in which ingredients and portion sizes are entered into a computer program that sets nutritional standards for various age groups and provides weekly averages of the nutrients kids are getting."That alone is a huge change," said Jo Busha, the state director for child nutrition programs. "For schools that don't do their own nutrient standard menu planning, the state is required to do sample analysis on a periodic basis."Some schools are making compromises with students' tastes, for instance by putting processed chicken patties between whole-wheat buns. Nicole Fournier, district manager with the Abbey Group, which provides food service to some Vermont schools, said older students are often the more finicky ones.As nutritional improvements have taken hold, many younger children show up at the school cafeteria ready to accept healthier and more unusual foods."The next generation, they'll have a different education," Fournier said. "I'm hopeful that will happen. I think the way kids are eating is changing."