A food service director for a YMCA camp offers advice on conducting yearly in-house training for camp cooks. Training resources could include a camp-specific training manual, training videos, training guidebooks, and demonstration of kitchen equipment. Health department issues should be covered during training. Kitchen resources from the American…

The impact of the 1977 Department of Agriculture regulations to vary minimum meal portion sizes for children is analyzed as it related to student participation in school lunch programs. (CT)

Explains the new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Guide Pyramid, which can help children and adults visualize the basics of sound nutrition. The pyramid chart places five food groups from top to bottom in inverse proportion to the number of servings that should be consumed. Special symbols are used to indicate fat content and added…

Reviews Food Guide Pyramid for fruits and vegetables for 2- to 6-year-old children. Identifies standard of five daily servings, defines children's portion sizes, presents guidelines for choosing appropriate foods, and suggests learning activities that use fruits and vegetables. Recommends 31 children's books about fruits and vegetables. (DLH)

Food safety is a significant issue in the United States and yet minimal research has been done on the inclusion of food safety in secondary school curricula. This study examined the feasibility of including food safety in Iowa FCS middle and secondary classes. Teachers reported food safety was important; only a few believed students were…

The objective of this study was to evaluate preschool teachers' attitudes towards nutrition labels. A sample of 154 preschool teachers was surveyed to determine their label-reading behaviours and knowledge. A total of 71.5% of the preschool teachers reported that they read food labels when purchasing food items (i.e. rather often or sometimes).…

Food safety governance is shaped by social relationships among the state, the industry, and the public in the food system in a given country. This paper examines the contestation among actors in New Zealand's red meat chain over the implementation of the Animal Product Act of 1999 (APA), which became a cornerstone in the reform of food safety…

Experiential learning activities are often viewed as impractical, and potentially unfeasible, instructional tools to employ in a large enrollment course. Research has shown, though, that the metacognitive skills that students utilize while participating in experiential learning activities enable them to assess their true level of understanding and…

Background: Schools are in a unique position to promote healthy dietary behaviors and help ensure appropriate nutrient intake. This article describes the characteristics of both school nutrition services and the foods and beverages sold outside of the school meals program in the United States, including state- and district-level policies and…

"Satelliting" or transporting food in bulk from one school kitchen or from a factory-like kitchen to smaller schools can help school districts reduce cost, improve efficiency, maintain quality, and standardize products. (MLF)

Examines research concerning the relationship of nutrition and learning and concludes that poorly nourished children are less likely than their well-nourished peers to achieve their academic potential. Outlines a course of action teachers can take to improve child nutrition. (FL)

Both the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services conduct research related to food and human nutrition. Several federal programs supporting nutrition research and education are reviewed. Footnotes provide addresses and ways to obtain more detailed information about nutrition related programs. (JN)

Recent research revealed that most school lunches exceed the dietary guidelines for fat content. After explaining the resulting Healthy Kids School Meals Initiative which will overhaul the National School Lunch Program meal pattern, the article makes suggestions of how parents can help their school food service sell more nutritious food. (SM)

Describes an activity in which students can investigate and evaluate the amount of iron found in most fortified breakfast cereals or cream of wheat. Includes a list of necessary materials, safety precautions, experimental procedure, disposal protocol, and nutritional explanation, utilization, and variations. (JJK)

Some children have chronic illnesses that require diet modifications as part of their medical treatment. Advises school districts to hire a registered dietitian or look for resources at a local hospital or public health office. In addition, schools should work with parents, improve staff training, and conduct spot checks of school cafeterias. (MLF)