Back to School Tools: Healthy Food Tips, Facts, and Resources
As kids head back to school this fall, many will also be returning to healthier school meals, thanks to current national nutrition standards. Exciting efforts are underway in schools across America to bring healthier foods to kids, though more must be done to upgrade kitchens and provide training needed to meet updated meal requirements.
The vast majority of parents of school-age children support strong national nutrition standards for all foods and beverages sold to students during school, according to a poll released today by The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and the American Heart Association (AHA).
Sixty-eight percent of school food service directors say their staffs need training on development or modification of menus to meet national school meal nutrition standards, according to a new report from the Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project, a collaboration between The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Research shows that healthy kids do better in school. That’s why there are nutrition standards for food and drinks sold in schools. But a gap in the rules is letting some states make choices that threaten children’s health.
Teen chefs from around the U.S. dished out their take on healthy school lunches for a shot at winning the Healthy Schools Campaign’s Cooking up Change 2015 national championship.
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