>From: "Tfpc" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: New York City Cuts Down on Fat and Sweets in Schools
>Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2003 17:55:40 -0400
>
>
>http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/25/nyregion/25NUTR.html?pagewanted=print&position=
>
>New York City Schools Cut Down on Fat and Sweets in Menus
>By ABBY GOODNOUGH
>
>Acknowledging that obesity is epidemic among New York City schoolchildren,
>the Education Department is reducing the fat content in the 800,000 meals
>it serves daily and banning candy, soda and other sugary snacks from school
>vending machines.
>
>Gone may be lunchroom staples like beef ravioli, potato salad and macaroni
>and cheese; the department has so far failed in trying to reformulate these
>foods with healthier ingredients. Favorites like chicken nuggets, cheese
>pizza and Jamaican beef patties will remain on the menu, but in smaller
>portions or in a leaner (read: less finger-licking) form.
>
>While federal guidelines recommend that only 30 percent of school-lunch
>calories come from fat over a five-day period, New York City intends to
>abide by the 30 percent rule for each meal by 2008. The changes will begin
>this September.
>
>The new standards, announced at a City Council hearing yesterday, come out
>of a task force that Chancellor Joel I. Klein appointed in February. Martin
>Oestreicher, chief executive of the Office of School Support Services, said
>the new standards presented "aggressive yet balanced and realistic
>strategies for achieving our goal to support the health and academic
>preparedness of our schoolchildren."
>
>School districts nationwide have been re-evaluating the meals they serve
>and cutting back on junk food in cafeterias. New York's attempts to upgrade
>its nutrition standards will be closely watched: the school system is the
>nation's largest, and it says it serves more meals daily than any
>government entity but the Department of Defense.
>
>A recent study showed that, according to the guidelines of the Centers for
>Disease Control and Prevention, almost 20 percent of third graders and 21
>percent of sixth graders in New York City are obese. In poor neighborhoods
>like the South Bronx, East Harlem and Bushwick, Brooklyn, almost 15 percent
>of the population has diabetes, often caused by poor diet and lack of
>exercise.
>
>Vending machines have become common, especially in high schools, because
>they are a lucrative revenue source for financially struggling schools,
>which use the money for sports and other programs. Education officials say
>that by providing an alternative to traditional meals on trays, the vending
>machines also encourage teenagers to stay on school grounds during the
>lunch hour.
>
>But many schools contract with vending companies on their own, with no
>central oversight or nutritional requirements.
>
>City Council members said yesterday that the new standards did not go far
>enough and that they would pass legislation requiring even stricter rules.
>For example, the Council bill would sharply limit the amount of sodium and
>trans fatty acids in school food.
>
>Council members said that a city law would make dietary rules permanent,
>while the new guidelines that Mr. Klein is putting in effect could be
>scrapped by his successors.
>
>"There is a history of decrees from the chancellor's office not necessarily
>being followed throughout the system," said Councilman David Yassky of
>Brooklyn, one of the bill's sponsors.
>
>But Mr. Oestreicher and Dr. Roger Platt, a Health Department official who
>oversees school health, told members of the Council's education and health
>committees that the bill was unnecessary. The new rules will be impossible
>to violate, they said, because only one vending company will provide
>machines and food for them. The machine foods will come from a list
>approved by Mr. Klein's office, which they said would not include candy,
>soda or juice made up of less than 100 percent fruit. Some kinds of cookies
>and potato chips could still make the cut, they said.
>
>To ensure that each meal contains no more than 30 percent fat, schools will
>use more whole-wheat bread instead of the current 60 percent white, 40
>percent wheat blend; reduce the use of canned vegetables and offer fresh
>and frozen vegetables five days a week instead of the current three; serve
>more fish and foods like fake chicken and burgers that are made of soy
>protein; and decrease the number of mayonnaise-based salads offered daily
>to one from three.
>
>In addition, schools will make cookies and other snacks smaller, reduce the
>use of highly processed foods like chicken patties, and limit beverages to
>water, milk and juice made of 100 percent fruit.
>
>In one example of reformulated food, teriyaki chicken, which now has 566
>milligrams of sodium per serving and gets 54.2 percent of its calories from
>trans fat, will become chicken breast with teriyaki sauce, with 299
>milligrams of sodium and 11.5 percent of its calories from trans fat. Trans
>fat typically comes from hydrogenated vegetable oil.
>
>The new version will, however, have more cholesterol. A new version of
>Jamaican beef patties, while much lower in fat, will include considerably
>more sodium. "The sodium gets a little taste back into it," Mr. Oestreicher
>said, adding that "it's still within our standards."
>
>New York's new nutritional standards come as Congress prepares to renew the
>$10 billion federal school lunch program, which expires next year. While
>school lunches have generally become healthier over the last decade, many
>are still high in fat. And for children of all ages, vending machines have
>become an increasingly popular alternative to traditional school lunch
>offerings.
>
>Currently, federal rules prohibit the sale of soda and other "minimally
>nutritious" foods only in school cafeterias, and allow their sale only
>after meal hours.
>
>Eva S. Moskowitz of Manhattan, chairwoman of the City Council education
>committee, described the smell of school lunchrooms as nauseating and
>questioned whether students would eat the healthier food. She scoffed at
>Mr. Oestreicher's claim that teaching good eating habits would convert
>children into vegetable zealots or stop the widespread habit of hurling
>picked-at school lunches into the nearest trash can.
>
>"It's got to be more complicated than that," she said.
>
>****************************************************************
>
>
>The Toronto Food Policy Council manages this information service for people
>working on food issues with community organizations,
>social agencies, public health units, educational institutions and
>municipal governments.  If you would like
>to share information on community gardens, urban agriculture, farmers
>markets,
>local food systems or educational and anti-hunger initiatives in your area,
>please send them to Wayne Roberts at [log in to unmask]  Opinions
>expressed in
>items carried through this information service do not, unless explicitly
>stated, reflect the views of either the Toronto Food Policy Council or
>Toronto Public Health.
>
>If you would like to view the TFPC's website, please visit us at:
>http://www.toronto.ca/health/tfpc_index.htm
>If you know someone who would like to receive these mailings, have them
>e-mail their name and address to: [log in to unmask]
>If you would like to unsubscribe, please let us know at: [log in to unmask]

_________________________________________________________________
The new MSN 8: advanced junk mail protection and 2 months FREE*
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail

To unsubscribe send one line: unsubscribe click4hp to: [log in to unmask] . To view archives or modify subscription see: http://listserv.yorku.ca/archives/click4hp.html