by Marissa Parisi, Hunger Free Vermont All of us working in the school nutrition and food security field were blind-sided by a study published last week by University of Vermont (UVM) researchers claiming that children were throwing out more fresh fruits and vegetables from their school lunches after an increase in nutrition requirements were implemented in the fall of 2012. The study was conducted in two Vermont schools during a critical transition time when schools were required by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make changes to nutrition guidelines to improve children’s long-term health. Before this change, schools could heap servings of french fries or tater tots on children’s trays and claim it as a vegetable serving every day of the week. However, the new guidelines require a larger variety of fresh fruits and vegetables be served to children along with wholegrain-rich breads and pasta, lean proteins, and low-fat milk. The new guidelines also require children to take at least a small amount (1/2 cup) of fruit and/or vegetable on their tray to encourage them to eat these healthy foods.
STORY: UVM School Lunch Study: Visual proof kids are tossing mandated fruits and veggies in trash
This was a big change for children and schools. As everyone who has ever tried to change their diet can attest, it takes time and creativity to make lasting change. This was absolutely true for schools across the country, and in Vermont, there were mixed reactions from school food service professionals who were required to implement these new regulations. It has taken time, patience, and encouragement, but across the board both locally and nationally school nutrition staff and advocates have seen increased consumption of fruits and vegetable in our schools. There are now many more opportunities for farm to school programming, and Senator Leahy has co-sponsored the Farm to School Act of 2015 to significantly increase grant funding for schools to expand their farm to school activities. Thanks to the perseverance and dedication of school food service personnel, healthier, fresher, and often local food is now being consumed by children in school cafeterias every day.
It’s for these reasons we were disappointed that UVM chose to promote a study that does not represent what’s happening in school meal programs today. The recent school meal waste study was very small in scope, visiting only two Vermont schools during an adjustment period and was conducted only in the semester before (spring 2012) and the first year after implementation of the new nutrition rules (spring 2013). There are many schools in Vermont who began embracing the localvore movement far before the launch of the new nutrition guidelines. Had the researchers broadened their scope of research by even two to three schools, their results likely would have been very different and still not broadly representative of what’s happening in school meal programs today. In fact, there have been many recent studies that refute the findings in the UVM study, including a 2014 study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine by Harvard School of Public Health. This study found that students are taking more fruit, and actually eating more of the vegetables put on their tray, even while the quantity of vegetables on their tray has increased. Overall fruit selection increased by 23% and the consumption of the vegetables selected increased by 16.2%. While plate waste continues to be a challenge, the new standards did not result in increased food waste.
Hunger Free Vermont works closely with school food service directors and the farm to school network every day. We find them to be some of the hardest working, most dedicated, and caring people looking out for our kids. As they are busily preparing for a new school year, imagine their surprise and disappointment to see a picture in the Washington Post of a child in a Vermont school throwing out her orange with the headline, “Why the healthy school lunch program is in trouble. Before/after photos of what students ate.” Or imagine what it is like to see a claim on Fox News with the title, “Trashed: Study finds students toss veggies mandated by federal school lunch program.” These sensationalized headlines claim that the results of the UVM study are representative of what children are eating and throwing out in schools today, which is false. Even the UVM researchers themselves noted several other factors impacting student consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables such as very little time to eat and lack of adequate kitchen equipment and staff time to process fruits and vegetables in ways children enjoy eating them. In interviews, the researchers also express ardent support for the continuation of the nutrition guidelines.
At Hunger Free Vermont, we appreciate the combination of rigorous academic research and a spirit of community collaboration. We use research to inform our work and measure the success of our efforts. However, this data is out-of-date and does not accurately reflect the current situation in our schools’ cafeterias. UVM should have considered the unintended consequences and harm this report has and could continue to cause children and people working in their community. The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act is up for reauthorization in Congress this fall and Vermont’s food advocacy community is organized and ready to work toward expansion of child nutrition programs to include things like more farm to school programming, more reimbursement to help with the cost of fresh fruit and vegetable processing, and increased access to summer meal programs. There are many conservative and vocal representatives in Congress who want to see an end to these nutrition guidelines, which would be a significant setback for children’s health. This study paints an inaccurate picture of what is happening in school meals today and is harmful to school meal programs operating across the country.
9.1.2015. Marissa Parisi is the Executive Director of Hunger Free Vermont, based in South Burlington. [email protected] 802-865-0255 x108