School Cafeteria Success?

I recently read an article in the New York Times that discussed the issue of school cafeteria lunches. I was pleasantly surprised however, that the article was not a critique of all the problems in school cafeterias. Instead this article was a praise of the success in some New York schools. This article explained that New York school lunches have been rapidly improving over the last six or seven years. These schools encourage foods like whole-grain pasta, salad bars, fresh fruit and low-fat, low-sodium recipes. They have rid of the typical fried foods and artificial ingredients. One school in particular, public school 56, have even gone to such an extreme as to have their own vegetable garden. This school has seen an overwhelming acceptance of the new dining options.

I think what struck me most about this article was that it was a success story. We talked in class about how, in public health, we often hear about when something is going wrong and needs improvement. We rarely hear about the success stories. It was good to finally hear that there are improvements and successes in an area of public health that is so prevalent in the US. That is, childhood obesity. This article gives hope for future improvements in promoting healthy lifestyles for children. It was also nice to just hear something positive for once!

Another thing I found particularly interesting in this article was the acceptance the new program received by the children at the school. One student, who was only in fourth grade, was quoted saying, “It makes me sad when they don’t have salad.” I think this just shows the impact that the programs are having and could have on the education of healthy eating for these children. The fact that she was in fourth grade and admitted that the vegetables were her favorite part amazed me. I also think it was interesting that they mentioned how the education of the children was making its way back to the homes of those children. I think that this is extremely important, in that, it shows how a little education and step in the right direction can make a huge impact.