Developing wellness policies to actually support health and wellness
Corena Munroe
Schools can do a lot to help our young people get healthy, nutritious food and learn about the food system so they can make healthy choices. Instead of supporting our health, much of the food sold in the US tends to undermine it.
In 2004, the Berkley Unified School District created a School Lunch Initiative that included developing school gardens, classroom lessons, and a change to healthier school food. Participating schools reported that their students were making healthier food choices, had a higher preference for fruits and vegetables, and scored higher on nutrition knowledge tests.
Teachers, administrators, and parents can inspire students to reclaim their food system through meals made with naturally-grown local food, more time to each such meals, a well-rounded education with a focus on intersectionality and waste reduction, and hands-on experiences that immerse them into a taste of what change can look like. Schools can and should provide students with the knowledge and tools to develop a more sustainable perspective on food, which will allow all aspects of student health to flourish long term.
One key step in building a sustainable food system is supporting the local community. Purchasing local food, and supporting local farms and neighborhood small businesses helps local businesses and institutions thrive and improves the community. Farm-to-school programs build relationships between schools and local farms to ensure equal access to local, healthy, culturally-appropriate food for all, as well as foster health and nutrition within the community. Providing fresh, natural, local, healthful, and sustainable food to schools and teaching students about the importance and nutrition of eating this way. Knowing where your food is coming from and how it is grown is an important aspect of eating that many people have lost sight of. Most commercially-available food products create a barrier between people and the food they are consuming. Getting food or as much as possible from a more trustworthy, local source can provide schools with the security of knowing that they are serving their students and faculty food that is fresh, natural or organic, nutrient-rich, environment.
Composting can be another great way to teach children about how the natural world works. On-site composting provides great opportunities for students to truly understand how the decomposition of food turns into mineral-rich soil, a real-life organic chemistry experiment. Students can experiment with different ratios of food to brown matter to understand which works best. Having a composting system on-site complement having a school garden. Students can watch food grow, eat it, then observe the food scraps as they turn back into soil for the next season, completing the food loop . (A school cafeteria s food waste would create more compost than needed, but schools have found farms willing to compost it for free fertilizer to enrich their soil.)
Changing to local and sustainable food sourcing, healthy and delicious menu options, increased mealtime, enhanced nutrition education, and hands-on learning all increase student performance and energy levels throughout the day, lead to healthier food choices, a higher preference for fruits and vegetables, and an overall increase in physical and mental health. The extensive research supporting these changes is undeniable.*
Schools can reassess ways to equitably foster wellness, education, nutrition, and sustainability, in both the school and the community.
*Details on research and methodology can be found in the Keys to a Strong School Wellness Policy guide described below.
Parents and students: Urge your district to convert to healthy locally-sourced foods and provide appropriate experiential and classroom-based education.
Corena is a senior at Lehigh University, majoring in Environmental Studies and Health, Medicine, and Society, with a minor in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
I’ve always had a strong interest in the food system, as it falls in the intersection of health and sustainability. I hope to continue working towards a more sustainable food system in the Lehigh Valley.
Editors Note: This essay is based on Keys to a Strong School Wellness Policy , a guide developed by Corena Munroe [Lehigh ’24], Amanda Heron [Lafayette ’24] and Sarah Mengel [Kutztown ’23] as part of the Alliance’s summer 2023 Rethinking the Food System project.
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