0
The Fight Over A La Carte Foods, This Time in England
By Deborah Lehmann —
Americans aren’t the only ones arguing about a la carte foods in schools. The UK has issued nutrition standards for secondary schools that ban individually sold food items, and school food service providers say it will jeapordize programs.
In a conference today in London, the Local Authority Caterers Association, is arguing that the new regulations will drive students away from cafeterias and into fast food chains during the lunch hour. A statement from the association, which provides over 2.5 million school lunches every day in England, Wales and Scotland, said the government standards “could bring the demise of the secondary school meal service in this country.”
The new rules were passed last year and will go into effect for secondary schools in September. Schools will have to install computers and analyze menus to meet 14 nutrient standards. In addition, students will no longer be able to buy foods a la carte. Both of those regulations will lead to higher costs, the caterers association says.
Sandra Russell, a former president of the association, told The Guardian that older student “are used to having a choice of things like a jacket potato bar or salad bar.” She said imposing a set meal “may actually deter them from using the service.”
Though there hasn’t been discussion about removing a la carte items from American schools, there has been plenty of fighting over how they should be regulated. Aside from a few “foods of minimal nutritional value” like soda water and a certain types of candy, a la carte items have never been subject to federal regulation. In 2004, the child nutrition reauthorization required all school districts to implement local wellness policies addressing competitive foods. But the local nutrition standards fall all over the map, and many schools have yet to implement the policies.
With rising concern about obesity, all that might change soon. Representative Lynne Woolsey (D-CA) has introduced a bill that will give the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to regulate all foods sold in schools. The School Nutrition Assocation and its industry partners are also calling for federal regulations, arguing that uniform national standards for a la carte items will keep costs down for both food companies and meal programs.
But tighter nutrition standards don’t always ensure students eat a nutritious meal. A few weeks ago, I sat down for lunch with students at Cranston High School East in Rhode Island. Eager to skip the long line for hot food (they only have 20 minutes to eat), many of them headed to the snack bar at the back of the cafeteria instead. One girl bought Teddy Grahams, a fruit roll-up and a giant pretzel. Another munched on Baked Cheetos and an energy drink.
All those items meet Rhode Island’s school nutrition standards. But are those meals healthy? Maybe the UK got it right.
Latest Comments: