As of Tuesday, August 28, 2012
© Copyright 2013
Rockdale Citizen
Berger, who has worked at RCA for five years, washes the fruits that will be used for meals. Rockdale County Public Schools now are offering a more fresh variety of fruits and vegetables and more whole grains.
CONYERS -- The school cafeteria staff knows that students don't like sweet potatoes, no matter how they present them, but school officials still are trying to get them to eat more vegetables and fruits anyway they can.
Now federal guidelines require more servings for students, no matter what the cost.
Rockdale County schools, like schools across the country, now are required to serve larger portions of fruits and vegetables. They must offer dark green vegetables, orange or red vegetables and legumes at least once a week, eliminate all added trans-fat and serve only 1 percent or nonfat milk under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's new standards.
Elementary school students now receive half a cup of fruits and vegetables, instead of of a cup. Instead of half a cup for high-schoolers, they may now take up to 1 cup of fruit and 1 cup of vegetables.
In addition to more offerings of fruits and vegetables, calories for all grade levels were reduced under the new regulations.
Previously, kindergarten through sixth-grade students could get 664 calories, while seventh through 12th grades could get 825. Now, kindergarten through fifth grades can receive 550 to 650, middle-schoolers 600 to 700 and high-schoolers 750 to 850.
Peggy Lawrence, nutrition director for Rockdale County Public Schools, said her department has made some menu changes by offering more fresh and a bigger variety of fruits and vegetables, more whole grains and a smaller portion of meat in some cases.
"We are very focused on scratch cooking, which gives us a lot of control in the end product," Lawrence said about an already common practice in her schools. "For example, we make our own rolls from scratch, so we have worked on changing the ratio of whole wheat to white flour over time to get us to where we need to be."
She said she eats at a school every day, so she talks with students, including her own two children, about the food and observes their habits, including them not being receptive to sweet potatoes.
"No matter what we've tried, it hasn't worked. We tried mashed. We tried baked. We tried fries. We tried fries sprinkled with cinnamon. We tried fries sprinkled with brown sugar," she said. "Kids just didn't like sweet potatoes, but that doesn't mean we'll stop trying."
She said schools give students choices, and this year, she's seen students eating fresh nectarines, plums and various colored pepper strips.
"Our push with students is to get them to just try it. Of course, that's our challenge, too," she said.
Lawrence said it's too soon to tell what the impact to her budget because of the changes, but it will increase because of the larger portions and since fresh produce costs more.
"Of course, I always hope any changes we make will help increase participation in our meals," she said.
Schools serve about 3.5 million meals -- breakfasts, lunch and snacks -- a year, she said.
Lawrence said this year's changes are focused on lunch, and breakfast changes are expected to come next school year.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
More like this story
- Rockdale students enjoy fresh fruits, veggies with grant ( April 11, 2012 )
- School dietitians focus on nutrition, new recipes ( May 30, 2009 )
- Rockdale schools focusing on healthy breakfasts ( March 6, 2013 )
- School dietitians focus on nutrition, new recipes ( March 12, 2008 )
- Rockdale schools celebrate National School Lunch Week ( October 11, 2011 )
Comments
pearl 8 months, 4 weeks ago
Maybe no one has seen these school lunches they are horrid. How do you give a ten year old boy in the fifth grade 3 extremely small chicken drummettes for lunch and consider this enough. As well one day for lunch RCPS served a cup of Mac and Cheese some fruit and low-fat milk. At this point there is a difference between healthy eating and this nonsense. Children burn tons of energy there days consist of constant movement and their bodies need to be properly nourished. What people do not know is half of these so called Cafeteria Manager are NOT nutritionist. Children are falling asleep in class as well as going home hungry. A child throws away at least half of their lunch, we are not feeding our children. All we are doing is putting them on body diets without the proper education or facts about what their growing bodies need.
Elmo 8 months, 4 weeks ago
This nonsense will continue so long as the Feds are in control of the schools and Moo-chelle is designing the lunch criteria.
goodeats 8 months, 4 weeks ago
The problem is that you and too many others like you are not informed about good nutrition AND don't want to learn to eat better. Kids will eat what they are trained to eat and too many have been raised on greasy, salty, overly-sweetened fast foods. I teach and every morning I see students drinking sodas and "power" drinks as part of their "breakfast". The basis for type-2 diabetes and hypertension are set in the eating patterns of kids and teens. Girls are not getting enough calcium in their teens and therefore setting themselves up for osteoporosis.....Need I go on? The Cafeteria Manager may not be a nutritionist, but she works under the guidelines established by the County Nutritionist who is setting the policies for the county.
So, Elmo, are you ready to vote for someone who might abolish the Dept. of Education rather than adding to its control over the local schools as the current regime is doing???
Elmo 8 months, 4 weeks ago
By all means, I am.
I, along with many others, have about had enough of "nanny-state" politicians.
If you're going to take it upon yourself to preach, er, "teach" nutrition, why don't you take it to the parents. By the time kids start to school, they're pretty munch ensconced in the eating habits they learned at home. You, the schools, or moo-chelle is going to change that anytime soon...the amount that the kids are tossing in the garbage shows that.
The past thirty years of government schools teaching political correctness, godlessness, and diversity is a prime examples of the abandonment of basic education abilities, and now you want to preach, er, teach nutrition. It would be better to insure that they could actually read a cookbook, or at least the menu first.
But, you seem intent on pushing the liberal scare tactics of possible "hypertension", "diabetes" and such to have it your way, or is it moo-chelle's way you seek to redeem?
The one thing you and your ilk need to consider in your dictated menu for the kids...you can't PUSH a rope. Unless you plan some form of water boarding to force them to eat your foods, then you're just playing "hope and change".
The DOE needs to be neutered, giving control back to the state and counties. I don't know what's worse, growing up with "hypertension", or as a brainwashed liberal...at least there are pills available for "hypertension".
You should concentrate on teaching your assigned subject, and leave the "nannying" up to the parents...in other words...MYOB.
pearl 8 months, 4 weeks ago
Before you impose on an entire school what good nutrition is make sure you know yourself. How dare we assume what these children are eating in their homes. How do you know have you visited every students home and had a meal no all this is based on the assumption that children in low income homes are not well fed. Furthermore it amazes me everyone is so concerned with nutrition and what parents are or are not feeding their children in the home. I have a great idea fight for food prices to be lowered so families can afford these healthy foods have you been in the grocery store lately a gallon of milk is not cheap at all and lets not even talk about a loaf of whole wheat bread. Just so you know power drinks are a great source to keep you from becoming dehydrated throughout the day in case you forgot this is the south.
buck 8 months, 3 weeks ago
pearl, if you don't like what they are feeding your kids pack their lunches! I'm sure you know how to do that. Right?
pearl 8 months, 3 weeks ago
First off Buck my children are grown and i did pack their lunches when i had too. You thought you remark was smart when in actuality it shows your ignorance. The children DO NOT have to be mine for me to care about how they are being treated and what they are being fed. I will always speak up for children because they can not speak up for their selves. The next time you decide to use an exclamation point please have first hand knowledge of your comment. Now being that i see these horrific lunches and some of them are just that horrific and these children eat it simply because they have no choice is wrong. Now unless you have seen these lunches please do not waste your time typing this nonsense.
NitetimeinDaytime 8 months, 4 weeks ago
I can't believe you people are complaining about healthier food in schools. It is not politics. It is food. For children. Geez.
Clark 8 months, 3 weeks ago
I'm complaining that grades will drop, because students are hungry and can't concentrate, because someone thought that putting a bunch of "veggies" on their plate would be a good idea. Maybe if the schools actually served the healthy foods that actually tasted good too, things would be different, but the schools refuse.
VPublicola 8 months, 3 weeks ago
Another consideration to be placed on the table: eliminate school breakfast and lunch programs. Parents/guardians can (or should) feed their kids breakfast beforehand and can send their children to school with whatever they choose to provide for their children's lunch and snack. Parents/guardians of "free/reduced lunch" children can use their EBT/SNAP cards to procure the weekly items necessary to actually provide lunch and breakfast for their own children. The money 'saved' can be redirected to actually educating children and/or refunded to the taxpayers. The kitchen square footage can be remodeled into classrooms so that "classroom trailers" can be removed and surplused. While some may not agree with this approach, it is a solution that should be on the table for discussion.
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