29th Apr 2009 - 00:00
Abstract
Parents, students and school staff have the opportunity to thank and congratulate those who provide healthy nutritious school meals during Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week, which runs from 4-8 May.
School nutrition employees must balance many roles and follow numerous federal, state and local regulations to ensure safe and healthy meals are available in schools. They also provide nutrition education to students, as well as healthy catering services to their communities.
For many children, school lunch is the most important and nutrient-rich meal of their day. Children depend upon school lunch for a 1/3 to 1/2 of their daily nutritional intake.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, found that "school meals are healthy and children who eat school meals consume more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy items than children who do not eat school meals".
In a 2008 Back to School Trend study, school nutrition professionals provided specific examples of common improvements made to school meals this school year. Among the most popular responses were: Increasing the availability of whole grain items (85%), reducing/limiting trans fat content (82%) limiting fat content of a la carte/vending items (72%) and reducing or limiting the amount of added sugar in foods (70%).
The School Nutrition Association is a national, non-profit professional organization representing more than 55,000 members who provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students across the country.
For more information visit www.schoolnutrition.org
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