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February 9, 2004 Dear Food Service Director: Now that mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), has been discovered in the United States, there is no better time to replace beef and other meaty items in your school cafeteria with healthy vegetarian fare. The alarming reality is that, because of lax regulations, poor enforcement, and very limited testing, the extent to which mad cow disease has entered the human food supply is unknown. Although some changes have been made, many U.S. livestock rendering and feeding practices are similar to those present in Britain at the onset of that country's mad cow epidemic, which resulted in the infection of more than 140 people with the human form of this fatal infection, the new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a national, nonprofit health organization that promotes healthy vegetarian nutrition as a means of preventive medicine, is urging you to replace beef with soy, textured vegetable protein (TVP), and beans in menu items to assure that children in our schools have safe, healthy menu choices at every meal every day. Veggie burgers, soy hot dogs, textured vegetable protein, and other meatless menu choices are low in fat, high in fiber, highly acceptable by kids of all ages, and free of prions, the infectious agent in mad cow disease and vCJD—making these vegetarian options superior selections for children. Because of mad cow disease in Washington State, the nearby Toppenish School District has already set an example by banning beef in its district during the month of January and has been encouraged by PCRM to start serving more vegetarian fare. After replacing the beef with soy or beans in menu items, meals are much richer in health-promoting fiber, vitamins, and minerals; provide less artery-clogging fat and cholesterol; and are much safer than entrées containing animal products. Serving nutritionally dense, lower-calorie vegetarian meals will aid children in your district in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. PCRM’s Healthy School Lunch Campaign works to educate lawmakers, government and school officials, teachers, school food service directors and workers, and parents about the importance of basing food offerings on current scientific evidence to best promote children’s current and long-term health. In conjunction with advising school districts on food safety and nutrition, every August, PCRM releases its annual School Lunch Report Card, which grades the nutrient quality of menu items offered in the nation’s largest school districts. This “report card” has motivated a number of districts to change their menus to offer more fruits, low-fat vegetable side dishes, and vegetarian and vegan entrées. The more frequently these items are offered in the cafeteria, the higher the district’s grade and the nutrient quality of its menu. Providing vegetarian entrées instead of meat-based choices on your schools’ menus would not only help ensure that safe selections were made available, but would also help your district receive a higher nutrition grade this coming year. For more information on mad cow disease and vCJD, please read through the factsheet at www.pcrm.org/health/prevmed/madcow_facts.html and browse through the Frequently Asked Questions page at www.pcrm.org/health/prevmed/PCRMHealthMadCowDiseaseFAQ.html. We urge you to position your school district as a nationwide leader
in child health and nutrition by taking action that simultaneously
improves child health, reduces obesity, and improves the safety
of foods served in schools. Thank you for considering these important
menu changes, and please contact me with questions as you introduce
healthy, vegetarian options in your cafeteria. Jennifer L. Keller, R.D. |
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