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)

The relationship between pesticides in food and the occurrence of attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in school age children is considered. Pesticides include chlorinated hydrocarbons and organic phosphates that are commonly present in fruits and vegetables, which are a large part of the diet of…

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…

This hearing includes testimony on contaminated strawberries in school lunches. Contaminated strawberries were determined to be the cause of an outbreak of hepatitis in the state of Michigan. In addition to statements by the committee members, testimony was given by: (1) Mary Ann Keeffe, Acting Under Secretary, Food Nutrition and Consumer…

Elementary school lunches planned and served under Oregon's Food Pyramid Choice Menus (FPCM) system are based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and they comply with the current U.S. Department of Agriculture menu standards for school lunches. The study discussed in this report was conducted from February through April 1997; data were…

The provision of quality before- and after-school child care is a major challenge facing educators. This guide from the Food Research and Action Center's Building Blocks Project provides information to providers of before and after school programs on using the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) to provide snacks and meals. Following…

This report provides information on the content of school lunches offered to middle school children in the public schools. A total of 163 middle schools in 42 states responded to the school lunch survey. Survey findings are given on: (1) the contents of the main course, vegetable and fruit offerings, desserts, and beverages; and (2) lunches…

This report summarizes the latest edition of national guidelines that have been a cornerstone of nutrition policies and programs in Canada for almost 50 years. The guidelines for healthy eating are as follows: enjoy a variety of foods; emphasize cereals, breads, other grain products, vegetables, and fruits; choose low-fat dairy products, lean…

This brief speech discusses the correlation between nutrition and health among older adults. Food habits of older people do not always fall in line with their food needs and health condition. Therefore, there is a need to establish nutrition programs to help older adults, as well as others, learn how to regulate their diet. The speaker challenges…

Surveyed college food service trends in various geographical locations in the United States. Discusses the trends, addressing eating alternatives, program issues, flexibility in offerings, nutritional emphasis, management and training changes, concern with costs and profits, updating of physical facilities, marketing, technology, matching…

This Feasibility Study to Develop a Methodology to Monitor the Impact of Changes in Competitive Food Policies had two main goals: (1) Design and test a plan for collecting and analyzing data about competitive food policies and all foods offered and served to students at school; and (2) Provide a methodology for assessing the impact of changes in…

National School Lunch officials promise to continue expending their programs on the basis of number of needy children, not necessarily needy schools. (Author)