By Carah Hart
KBIA, Columbia, Mo.
It’s 11 a.m. — time for lunch at Hannah Cole Primary School in Boonville, Mo. The first graders seem excited for today’s 550-calorie meal of a hot ham and cheese sandwich, peas, mixed fruit and milk.
This lunch is a typical meal for most students attending Missouri’s public schools, which follow dietary guidelines set by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“We do the nutrient standard guidelines in which you have to count your calories, your proteins, your fats, your sodium your iron,” said Linda Maupin, food service director for the Boonville School District. “It all has to equalize so we have to balance each meal at each age group.”
Maupin said the requiredcaloric intake rises to 783 for middle school and 846 for high school.
But changes are coming. Beginning next year, school meals will feature more fruits and vegetables courtesy of new dietary guidelines from the USDA.
Missouri also is working on a new school lunch program, which is expected to be fully implemented by 2015.
“There is some emphasis on increasing darker green vegetables and more of the yellow and orange vegetables,” said Karen Wooton, food director for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. “Tracking of calories, saturated fat and sodium will be required and those are things in the (USDA’s) dietary guidelines.”
Missouri schools also will have opportunities to grow their own food and emphasize organic food.
“We’re continuing to work with schools to push more fruits and vegetables — even some more locally grown fruits and vegetables — more farm-to-school projects,” Wooten said. “And I think we will be working with processers to help develop foods that are lower in sodium.”
One concern, though, is higher prices.
“We could see an increase in prices trying to get more fruits and vegetables in our meal patterns, and maybe labor too involved with some of the different fruits, vegetables and different preparation techniques,” Wooten said.
She said schools will do taste tests to prepare students for new foods.
“Studies show it takes kids a number of times to test a new product before they accept it. I just think time and re-introducing usually does it,” she said.
Mark Ficken, superintendent of Boonville schools and a parent of two, said school districts should have some freedom to what cooks can make at school.
“As long as it meets the caloric intake and we’re taking commodities and being able to make good, solid choices and good offerings for kids, that’s what being a cook is,” he said. “When they take that ability away then it’s doing the kids a disservice and the school district a disservice.”
Maupin said schools will balance the new requirements with creativity in the school kitchens.
