Only one state got an ‘A’ for school nutrition, and it wasn’t Maine.
With childhood obesity a growing health threat, a national group has graded states on school nutrition.
Maine got a ‘C,’ but that was better than 30 other states. According to the School Foods Report Card by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, 12 states got ‘Bs’; seven each got ‘Cs’ and ‘Ds’; and 23 states got ‘Fs.’ Kentucky got the only ‘A.’
Walter Beesley, a specialist in child nutrition at the Maine Department of Education, said he was surprised that Maine’s grade was so low. “We’re a leader in the country in eliminating junk food from schools. We haven’t allowed that for years.”
All food sold in Maine schools must be nutritious or “acceptable,” Beesley said. At the minimum, food must contain at least 5 percent nutrition. For example, if a cookie has 100 calories, 5 percent must come from iron.
Sugar and fat in lunch programs have been reduced, he said. Canned fruits that used to come in heavy syrups now come in light, or less sugar, he said.
Margo Wootan of the center explained the grades were based on current state laws, not on firsthand looks at what foods are in schools.
Maine law now says any food or beverages sold on school property must be part of the total food service program. The soccer team or Key Club can’t sell candy bars or pizza outside the cafeteria, Wootan said. “It means the food is sold under the purview of experts who know about food. It’s a step forward.”
Wootan agreed with Beesley that Maine says pure junk food – soda, lollipops, jelly beans – can’t be sold at all. That’s better than most states, she said.
However, existing law doesn’t ban food with too much sugar or fat, she said. “It doesn’t limit sports and fruit drinks with too much sugar,” she said. “It doesn’t address saturated fat, trans fat, calories and salt.”
The United States Department of Agriculture standards, which Maine relies on, “are out of sync with current nutrition science,” Wootan said. “The standards don’t address major nutrition concerns of children today.”
Wootan expects Maine’s school nutrition will improve.
In 2005, state legislators passed a law, sponsored by Rep. Margaret Craven, D-Lewiston, that says the Maine Department of Education will develop nutrition standards for schools, and that the calories of food sold al la carte must be posted by 2008.
But, according to the Department of Education, those standards are a few years away.
While a C isn’t honor roll material, “it’s better than what most states are doing,” Wootan said.
Dr. Dora Mills, head of the Maine Center for Disease Control, said tight budgets and current USDA standards are challenging the state.
“Schools depend on the USDA food which provides food at low costs, but some of these foods are not always nutritious. Some have too much fat and sugar,” Mills said.
For the first time in history, high-calorie and high-fat foods cost less than healthy food, Mills said. “You can spend $4 at the grocery store and buy broccoli and pears, or you can buy hot dogs and rolls.” Like families, “the overarching issue for schools is tight budgets,” she said.
Kentucky, the only state to get an A, only allows schools to offer 1 percent milk, fat free milk, water or 100 percent juices. Kentucky restricts portion size, fat, sugar and sodium, Wootan said.
What needs to happen is for the USDA to bring its nutrition standards in line with current nutrition science, Wootan said. “This is a national problem.”
On the Web: http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/school_foods_report_card.pdf
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