The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) contacted public school districts around the United States to determine if they offered low-fat, healthful meals. The PCRM ranked the schools according to whether they served low-fat and vegetarian meals daily, whether these meals varied through the week, and whether children needed to…

The 1992 "Best Practices" award winners for exemplary accomplishments in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs are recognized and described in this booklet. The information provided can be used as a tool to implement the dietary guidelines and achieve the Year 2000 nutrition objectives. The programs are listed under the…

Guidelines for implementing and operating a school breakfast program in New York are provided in this document. Following an introduction that explains the need for school breakfast programs, sections describe program history, meal pattern requirements, eligible participants, and available state and local financial assistance. Program requirements…

These hearings before the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs are organized in four parts, the contents of which are as follows. The first part concerns "Unused food assistance funds and food stamps," with opening statements by Senators Percy and McGovern, followed by the presentations of other witnesses. The focus of…

This manual contains information on federal policy regarding meal-pattern requirements for school-nutrition programs. It also describes the Offer Versus Serve (OVS) provision, which allows students to decline either one or two food items they do not intend to eat in order to reduce food waste. The manual explains food components, gives examples of…

In 1994, Congress passed the Healthy Meals for Healthy Americans Act, requiring that Child Nutrition Programs comply with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and meet nutrient standards. In 1995, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued new regulations to define how the Dietary Guidelines would be applied to school meals, called the…

This guide was written to provide sponsors with a combination of guidance and policy information in order to help them plan, purchase, prepare, and serve nutritious meals and snacks that comply with the Child Care Food Program meal pattern requirements. Nutrition information and lists of allowable foods for each menu component (meat, fruit and…

This report describes research that Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MPR) has conducted for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), to develop methods to track the use of "competitive foods" in schools over time. Competitive foods are foods from a la carte cafeteria sales, vending machines, school stores,…

Effective financial management of school food service observes the following credos: (1) recognize that school food service is a business; (2) manage for productivity; (3) establish and maintain cost controls; (4) focus on expenses but not to the neglect of managing revenue; (5) balance near-term gain with long-term viability; and (6) reinvest…

A computerized menu-planning method, "Nutrient Standard Menu Planning" (NSMP), uses today's technology to create healthier menus. Field tested in 20 California school districts, the advantages of NSMP are cost effectiveness, increased flexibility, greater productivity, improved public relations, improved finances, and improved student…

This publication is designed to aid school food service personnel in implementing effective food purchasing practices and obtaining optimum food quality. Part 1 outlines procedures for sound purchasing practices and presents suggested forms for use in implementing these procedures. Information is also provided on inventory systems and stock…

Twenty outbreaks of foodborne illness in schools were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during 1997; however, only 8 cases were associated with food served in the school meal programs. Preliminary findings identified nine outbreaks in 1998, affecting an estimated 1,609 individuals. CDC notes that such outbreaks are…

Educators have a responsibility to learn as much as they can about the relationship between nutrition and the teaching/learning process. This article presents a model to help local school boards draw up their own policy statements. (Author/WD)

Describes initiatives in New York State to meet student nutrition needs, including the Statewide Training Network for School Food Service Workers and the Nutrition Comes Alive in the Cafeteria program. Emphasizes the role of local boards of education in supporting better nutrition in school lunch and breakfast programs. (FMW)

Pending federal legislation would require that school meals meet federal dietary guidelines. However, food service directors and nutritionists see other obstacles to improving the nutritional content of school meals such as government red tape, costs, and difficulty in changing people's tastes. Hundreds of schools, usually in affluent communities,…