Schools can do more to make sure that the food they serve is nutritious and promotes good health. (Research has found that healthy, fresh food improves school performance — while some over-processed food contributes to childhood obesity and diabetes.) In addition, there are some real safety concerns, since the national school lunch program now allows irradiated food*.
Here are some of the things we can do:
- Improve the types and sources of foods served in schools;
- Develop and promote ways to incorporate more fresh, locally-grown foods;
- Work with parents to keep irradiated food out of the school food programs;
- Develop and expand the types of hands-on projects from school gardens to food preparation and marketing;
- Improve ways that food and nutrition are covered in the curriculum to promote a better understanding of inter-relationships of food, nutrition, health, and sustainable food-production systems; and
- Encourage and assist school districts to develop comprehensive food and nutrition policies.
Join the drive to improve the food our children get in school!
More info on school-food issues – contact the Alliance’s Community-Food Connections working group.
* Note:
- For more information about the hazards of irradiated food and the presence of nuclear irradiator facilities in communities, see Public Citizen’s special section on food irradiation and the NoCobalt-4-Food website.
- For more information about the dangers of irradiated food in school lunches, see Public Citizen’s ‘Safe Lunch‘ section.