www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-school-lunches-revisenov10,0,7576229.story

chicagotribune.com

School menus freshen up

Cafeterias offering more local, healthy foods to students

By Stephen J. Hedges and Jo Napolitano

Tribune Reporters

9:16 PM CST, November 9, 2008

Once the province of tater tots, reheated burgers and chocolate milk, school lunches are increasingly featuring local produce and healthy foods as administrators battle rising food prices and expanding student waistlines.

“This is really gaining momentum now,” said Gary Cuneen of Seven Generations Ahead, a Chicago-area non-profit that has worked with schools in Oak Park and elsewhere to improve lunch menus and to educate students about food.

A movement that began a decade ago by putting fresh produce into a few California schools is now active in 2,000 school districts in 39 states, according to the National Farm to School project. (more…)

The Daily Californian Online

Budget Cuts May Limit School District’s Food Program Funds

By Carol Yur

Contributing Writer

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Category: News > City

Jacquelyn Hoffman/Courtesy A student picks up a healthy lunch as part of the food program at Martin Luther King Middle School.

No longer skipping lunch, Monte Metal, a seventh-grader at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, said he is eating more and receiving straight-A’s this year, what he says is partially due to improvements to the school food program.

“I don’t know what they did, but the food is very good,” Metal said. “I really think the lunch has improved my grades. You can actually think after you eat.” (more…)

www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-to.farm24nov24,0,1678647.story

baltimoresun.com

Seeds of change

Organic farm will give city school students a chance to get their hands dirty while learning about nutrition

By Jill Rosen

November 24, 2008

Driving on U.S. 40, shoving along with the traffic past strip malls, gas stations and drive-through restaurants, there’s no apparent reason to give Nuwood Road, landmarked by an auto supply store, a second glance.

But if one did turn in and hang a quick right, he or she would see what could soon become the linchpin for bringing wholesome eating to Baltimore City schools.

Tony Geraci, the system’s new food service director, plans to turn the 33 surprisingly rural acres in Baltimore County into an organic farm where schoolchildren will learn about healthy food and sustainable living, by digging in the dirt, planting seeds and watching fruits and vegetables come to life. (more…)

Harvard Study Urges School Breakfast Expansion

Ten million children in this country at some 15,000 schools still lack access to breakfast and their ability to function and learn is being affected by of the absence of a nutritious morning meal, according to new research from the Center on Hunger and Poverty at Harvard University.

“Letting school children go hungry means that the nation’s investments in public education are jeopardized by childhood under-nutrition,” emphasized Dr. Larry Brown of the Harvard School of Public Health and lead researcher on  the study, titled “Impact of School Breakfast on Children’s Health and Learning:  An Analysis of Scientific Research.”  Brown added that, “Not only are hungry children robbed of their natural potential, but their condition leads to lost knowledge, brainpower and overall productivity for the nation.” (more…)

The Cookthink Questionnaire: Ann Cooper

November 17th, 2008
Ann Cooper is the director of nutrition services for the Berkeley Unified School District. Her newest book is Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children (Harper Collins, Sept. 2006), co-written with Lisa M. Holmes.

Sweet or salty?

Salty

Which ingredient(s) do you use most?

Salt, EVO, balsamic, fresh veggies.

What’s the cooking sound you most love?

Sauté — the sizzle. (more…)