School Nutrition Association Recognizes Professionals Who Promote Healthy Meals

Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 07 May 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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Teaching nutrition lessons, preparing healthy school meals and offering a friendly greeting are all in a day's work for more than 250,000 child nutrition employees in the nation's 99,000 school cafeterias and kitchens. The non-profit School Nutrition Association celebrates this professional commitment with Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week, May 5 - 9, 2008. The week is an opportunity for parents, students, school staff and communities to thank those who provide healthy school meals to more than 30 million children each school day.

School nutrition employees must balance many roles and follow numerous federal, state and local regulations to ensure safe and healthy meals are available in schools. They are trained sanitation and food safety experts and must manage financially self-sufficient programs. School nutrition professionals also provide nutrition education to students, as well as healthy catering services to their communities. They use their creativity to make the cafeteria a fun and welcoming place all year long and perform their jobs each day because they care passionately about the children they serve.

The importance and nutritional value of school meals are well documented. For many children, school lunch is the most important and nutrient-rich meal of their day. Children depend upon school lunch for 1/3 to 1/2 of their daily nutritional intake. The U.S. Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, found that "school meals are healthy and children who eat school meals consume more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy items than children who do not eat school meals."

In a 2007 Trend study, school nutrition professionals provided specific examples of common improvements made to school meals this school year. Among the most popular responses were:

- Reducing/limiting trans fat content (74%)
- Limiting fat content of a la carte/vending items (73%)
- Increasing availability of healthier beverages in vending machines (81%)
- Increasing availability of fresh fruits/vegetables on a la carte lines and/or vending machines (69%)

Additionally, policy deployment has increased for nearly every area from past years, including the percentage of districts with a policy that limits the fat content of a la carte and/or vending items rising to 73% from 38% in 2004.

The School Nutrition Association is a national, non-profit professional organization representing more than 55,000 members who provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students across the country. The Association and its members are dedicated to feeding children safe and nutritious meals. SNA is the only association devoted exclusively to protecting and enhancing children's health and well being through school meals and sound nutrition education.

School Nutrition Association