The United States Department of Agriculture says school meals play a critical role in helping children learn how to lead healthy lifestyles. As federal guidelines shift toward healthier fare in school lunches, entrees that are bland and unseasoned won’t do the trick. Leon County Schools Nutrition Services Director Cathy Reed says many schools have gardens [...]
Florida and other states are phasing in new standards for school lunches. Fat and calories are being reduced as more fruits and vegetables are offered. The National School Lunch Program requirements stem from the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which focuses on improving child nutrition. Starting this school year (2012‐2013), school lunches have new [...]
“I hate them.” “They’re disgusting.” These sentiments are from elementary students around Tallahassee who aren’t fans of their school’s vegetables. “I cannot think that they’re actually real.” “Our vegetables don’t taste real and they look like green spaghetti.” Fortunately, not all of their peers agree. Today, kids at Ruediger Elementary School are getting broccoli and [...]
If you’re interested in what your kids are eating at school, a live webcast tonight will shed some light. The discussion is about changes to school meals and how families can help kids and schools make the transition. The changes stem from the federal Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. It gives the U.S. Department [...]
School nutrition will be the big topic at a conference in Orlando today. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam will tell the Florida Association of District School Superintendents about moving the school nutrition program to his office. In January, the state’s program moved from the Department of Education to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The [...]
We know that a lot of children depend on schools for their meals through free and reduced-price food programs. So when school is not in session, these kids may go hungry for much of the day. It’s a problem big enough that the Florida Department of Agriculture provides a summer food program. Funds go to [...]
Many kids only eat well when school is in session. Now, state and federal funding is keeping children fed over the summer break. A lot of kids in Jacksonville and around Florida are getting access to meals that include fruits or vegetables. The Jacksonville Children’s Commission is among the groups making sure kids eat lunch. [...]
So-called “pink slime” has joined ketchup-as-a-vegetable, peanut allergies and chocolate milk as the school lunch controversy of the moment. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Thursday that schools will have the choice of whether to purchase ground beef that contains the filler product critics have called “pink slime.” The filler is beef trimmings from which [...]
A South Florida school is feeding students “FCAT power bars” and hoping the apple-flavored cereal bar gives students more confidence facing the annual Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, according to the Sun-Sentinel. The district says they don’t want kids at Palm Beach County’s Hagen Road Elementary School to take the test on an empty stomach. But [...]
Part of the reason I moved to StateImpact Florida from a newspaper was the chance to learn some skills and try new things. It turns out that producing radio news stories is much harder and a lot more work than I expected. You don’t show up sounding like NPR on your first day no matter [...]
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