THE FUTURE FOR HEALTHY SCHOOL LUNCHES LOOKS PROMISING

The New York Times recently published an article about Ann Cooper, who has made a career out of improving the quality of public school food. She was recently invited to The School Nutrition Association’s upcoming conference to discuss Lunch Box, a system she developed to encourage school districts to begin cooking mostly local food from scratch.

President Obama put an extra $1 billion for child nutrition programs, including school food, in his 2010 budget proposal. Congress will take up the Child Nutrition Act in October, providing $12 billion to pay for lunch and breakfast for 31 million schoolchildren. The Department of Agriculture is expected to upgrade school food nutrition standards this year, many of which haven’t been changed for nearly 15 years.

Obviously, the American government has recognized the current childhood obesity problem and is making great strides in the effort to improve it. The teacher community has no doubt identified this as a problem in their own schools. More schools and teachers have already made an attempt to provide healthier food for their students.

We at Applebatch believe in keeping our students healthy and hope that the government keeps its promise in developing new strategies to achieve this goal. It is essential for kids to eat nutritious food to give them the energy they need to excel in the classroom.

We encourage you to use our teacher network to discuss how you or your school has contributed to the crusade for better school lunches. Together, teachers can make a difference in the lives of their students.