From NECN?..
In his gut, Kurt Myers knows when a student arrives at school on an empty stomach.
He can see it on a cold Monday morning in the coat that remains zipped and the hat that stays pulled down, in the rush to eat school breakfast as if it?s the student?s first meal in days.
And in the Reading School District, where 92 percent of students received free or reduced-price meals in 2011-12, Myers knows it doesn?t take a food services director such as himself to realize that ?when a student looks like he hasn?t eaten all weekend, he probably hasn?t eaten all weekend.?
For that reason, Myers traditionally has had the district offer more than the required servings of protein at lunch, knowing it could be the last filling meal of the day for many students.
But this year, new lunch standards set by the national Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act are changing the way lunches are served and limiting the amount of protein city schools can serve.
Approved in 2010 and championed by first lady Michelle Obama, the law handed the U.S. Department of Agriculture the authority to mandate a menu makeover for 2012-13, introducing new grain and protein restrictions and more fruits and vegetables.
GOOD INTENT, TOUGH SELL
Berks County food service administrators have welcomed the law in spirit, embracing its combination of whole grains, fruits and vegetables as a way to combat childhood obesity.
But they are concerned that the act could prove a recipe for wasted food that will leave students anything but hunger-free even as it raises the average Berks school lunch price by 11 cents, from $2.22 to $2.33.
?If Johnny gets three-quarters of a cup of carrots and doesn?t like carrots, he?s going to dump the carrots in the trash,? Myers said. ?He?s going to go home. He?s going to be hungry, and he?s going to plop on the couch and bust open a bag of chips.?
And if Johnny receives free or reduced-price lunches and refuses to take a fruit or vegetable, the district will not receive its government reimbursement for the meal.
However, for every meal that complies with the new requirements, schools can receive an extra reimbursement of 6 cents, even if a student pays the full price.
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Source: http://www.lensaunders.com/wp/?p=4447
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