Don’t Put Down that Hot Dog Yet

Schools try new approaches to tackle childhood obesity.

Coming soon to a school cafeteria near you: soy-supplemented hot dogs. To get students eating healthier, schools in West Virginia are now making their breakfast and lunch foods with low-fat cheese and whole-wheat grains while disguising them as junk foods. So what looks and tastes like a pizza will actually be a healthier version of the food.

But the jump to healthier meals doesn’t stop with nutritionally modified junk food. The Miami-Dade County School District adopted a ban on foods with trans fats before this school year. Gone are the days of extra-crispy french fries and foods with seemingly endless shelf lives. In their place are foods designed to be as healthy as possible. There haven’t been any problems obtaining foods without trans fats, and the community has supported the decision, says Penny Parham, the nutrition director for the school district.

This summer, more than 7,500 cafeteria workers, managers, and food service directors filled a Chicago convention hall for the School Nutrition Association’s annual conference and nibbled on low-fat fried chicken, reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, and whole-wheat pretzels.

“The rapid rise in childhood obesity rates has drawn attention to the quality of foods and school nutrition,” says Joy Johanson, a senior policy associate for the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Legislators are getting increasingly involved, too. In April, a report conducted for Congress by the Institute of Medicine recommended stricter standards for cafeteria, vending machine, and fundraising food items.

That last part is crucial, says Johanson, who encourages schools to move away from fundraisers like bake sales or those that involve candy bars or fast food certificates. Other options that are equally (and sometimes more!) profitable are walk-a-thons, which encourage physical activity; book fairs; collecting recyclable materials; and selling gift cards to local stores. For an extensive list of healthy fundraisers and their benefits, consult CSPI’s report “Sweet Deals” at www.cspinet.org/reports/index.html.

—Maren MacIntyre