Two weeks ago we praised Auburn public schools for offering a free breakfast to any student wanting one. The goal was to erase the stigma of the income-based breakfast program.
But we chided the district for including sugary cold cereals of dubious nutritional value.
Lewiston city schools deserve applause for recently introducing healthier hot lunch options. Those will include brown rice instead of white rice, leafy greens instead of iceberg lettuce and pizza made with whole-wheat dough.
The change is being made in preparation for September, when new federal regulations will require schools to serve meals with fewer calories, fat and sodium and with more fruits and vegetables.
This is a sea change that is long overdue. Studies show that a host of medical problems associated with obesity start at younger and younger ages.
Some may complain about the “nanny state” taking over our food choices.
But schools are designed for learning, and learning what a healthy diet looks like and tastes like may be a lifesaving, long-term lesson.
The opinions expressed in this column reflect the views of the ownership and the editorial board.
Editor’s note: We should have noted in the above editorial that, in 2009, Auburn adopted a healthy lunch program similar to the program recently implemented in Lewiston.
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