From farm to school: Are healthy lunch options availble to your kids?

I’m often reminded of how very lucky we were to move into the school district in which we live in Western New York. Not only are our children receiving an excellent education, they both are in classes with teachers who truly seem to care about them, their growth, their health, and their education.

One of the things I really like about our school is the healthy options they offer our children. Of course, on pizza day they choose pizza (wouldn’t you?) but on the other days when they buy lunch I’m amazed that not only are there healthy options, they actually CHOOSE the healthy option (like yogurt parfait with fresh fruit and milk). I mean, we’re talking about children who are in kindergarten and second grade.

Of course there’s the usual mac’n cheese, processed chicken patties, and canned veggies offered for lunch, but the district also offers salads, the yogurt, and lots of fresh fruit. 

Would I like them to do more? Of course I would but sometimes it’s just not feasible. Like everything, it costs money and there’s only so much to go around.  There is a push nationally to start bringing more local, farm fresh foods into schools. In the past, due to distribution agreements it was very hard for districts to use local food sources but it got easier in 2008 and again in 2010 when the U.S. Department of Agriculture created and then reapproved the Farm to School program in an attempt to get more healthy foods into school cafeterias. 

Earlier this year, the USDA conducted a study that surveyed schools in the U.S. to find out about their involvement with the Farm to School program and the results are promising: “Six percent of U.S. school districts reported serving locally produced food in school meal programs during the 2011-12 or 2012-13 school years and an additional 9 percent planned to serve local foods in the future.”

But that same study also showed that 44 percent of the districts either didn’t know if they participated in the program or said they had no plans to serve local food or conduct other similar activities.

In New York State, 41 to 60 percent of districts serve locally produced food. I don’t know if my district participates, but you can bet I’m going find out. But in the meantime, I’m just happy they are taking small steps to introduce healthy food options to my kids.

Our kids don’t buy lunch every day. We pack lunches for them and always make sure they have healthy foods (that they like) tucked in. It’s just one small way we continue to reinforce our healthy lifestyle. And it shows when come home and tell me they made their own healthy choices that day.