Harry Truman was responsible for the introduction of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in 1946. The goal was two-fold; to manage farm surpluses and feed school children. As he signed the legislation, President Truman stated “that no nation is any healthier than its children or more prosperous than its farmers.” It was economically viable and provided food to children in need. Privatization certainly has negative connotations, as it is a means for increasing the profits of a particular corporation to the detriment of the public service it was meant to perform. It is generally touted as a way to increase efficiency and greater accountability, although these virtues are often not in evidence. The USDA still administers the NSLP, but in its present form it has morphed into a private system that most benefits multi-national food processing corporations and most decidedly threatens the health of the thirty million children who eat school lunches every day. And, as you may have suspected, it’s all about the money.
“In European countries and Japan, national governments provide most of the money for schools…But in the United States the federal government provides less than 7% to elementary and secondary school districts, [ leaving] each state to figure out how to fund the rest,” according to a report by Noreen Connell. Since European governments provide the funds for school lunches, they control what goes on each plate, restricting foods high in salt, fat and sugar, and promoting fresh fruits and vegetables. Deep fried food is also limited. In the U.S., the NSLP simply provides commodity foods at a discount, leaving individual states and districts with the task of what to do with the food and how to pay for it. In steps Aramark, Sodexo and Compass Group, the three major food industry contractors, who promise the schools under financial pressure that they can turn the lunchroom into a profitable enterprise. The way to do that, of course, is to serve the cheapest food, which invariably is akin to fast food.
Given the federal government’s reluctance to properly fund school lunches, and particularly because of the free lunch mandate established by the 1966 Child Nutrition Act, Lyndon Johnson recommended easing the tacit ban by food service professionals allowing commercial operators in school kitchens. Over time, on site school kitchens that prepared nutritious meals were unable to meet the financial requirements of the unfunded Child Nutrition Act mandate and were forced to turn to pre-packaged, off-site prepared meals. More arcane government regulations ensued over the years allowed for more choice of offerings, which led to meals consisting of hamburgers, fried chicken, French fries and pizza. Only in the 2000s did people start to realize the consequences of the food we fed our children in schools. Roland Zullo, currently a privatization expert at the University of Michigan, wrote a report in 2008 on the consequences of serving essentially fast food to kids in schools. His study revealed that not only did the use of private companies to prepare lunch not result in reduced costs but also reduced test scores. Further research has demonstrated the necessity of wholesome foods on brain development, as diets of processed foods can lower IQ.
The response to research showing the detrimental effects of feeding children processed food has been moderate, but momentum is growing. While federal funding is still scant, the USDA does administer a Farm to School Program in which 43% of U.S. schools are involved. The Farm to School Program, however, is grant based and on their website they admit that “the F2S grant program has already seen demand for funding far outweigh what is available.” As of this year, only $5 million was allocated for the program. The program is, however, a progressive attempt to “increase local food procurement for school meal programs and expand educational agriculture and gardening activities.”
But other non-profit organizations are stepping in across the country to change the food we serve our children. The Conscious Kitchen is one such organization that dedicates itself “to a systemic transformation of school food programs” and has instigated a program in Marin City, California that services a small school where 95% of its students are eligible for free lunches. As of this month, the Willow Creek Academy will be the first school in the country that will serve food based on the five foundational terms of the Conscious Kitchen, which are “Fresh, Local, Organic, Seasonal and Non-GMO (FLOSN). It’s funded by local companies and sources 90% of all produce from local farmers. The pilot program’s indicators (at Bayside MLK Academy in Marin City) were that aside from the obvious health benefits of such food, the Vice Principal reported “a 70% reduction in behavioral issues compared to the prior year, in addition to an uptick in attention span, on time arrival and attendance.”
It’s becoming more and more obvious that consumption of processed foods, which by definition are high in salt, fat and sugar, are poor substitutes for food prepared from scratch. Progress is being made, however, and as people become more aware and educated about the positive power of sustainably grown food, we’ll all be better off.
Recipe of the Week
This salad provides a nice lunch and is quite tasty.
Panzanella
1 small loaf of any kind of French bread, cute into cubes
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 pound of provolone, diced
a handful of fresh basil, chopped
1 cup good quality pitted olives
extra virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar
Toss all ingredients and serve. It’s best to make only an amount that will last two or three days.