 |
2001 School Lunch Report
A Report by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine,
Fall 2001
introduction
| districts surveyed |key
findings
Table B: Summary of Key Findings
Meeting USDA Guidelines
- 9 out of 12 school districts said they are meeting
the nutrition guidelines—75 percent
- 3 out of 12 said they are not meeting guidelines, are
not sure, or don't care—25 percent
Commodity Foods Utilized
- The five most common foods
ordered among the 12 school districts surveyed were:
- ground beef
- chicken (either nuggets or patties)
- cheese
- canned fruit
- flour
- Three of these top five foods are high in fat and cholesterol.
Availability of Calcium-Rich, Non-Dairy Foods
- 1 out of 12 school districts routinely served non-dairy calcium
sources (specifically, they offered calcium-rich vegetables)—8
percent
- 6 out of 12 required a doctor's note to allow children to refuse
milk—50 percent
Efforts to Lower Fat
- 4 out of 12 school districts said it is difficult to meet the
low fat standard—33 percent
- 2 out of 12 are not making an effort to reduce fat in the menu—17
percent
- 10 out of 12 are making an effort to reduce fat in the menu—83
percent
- 1 out of 12 is lowering fat by replacing meat offerings with
vegetable protein sources—8 percent
Methods used to lower fat:
- Four school districts indicated that they never fried, but
grilled and baked instead.
- Five school districts switched to low-fat dressings, leaner
beef, and/or lower-fat yogurt.
- Two school districts rinsed, drained, or blotted pizza and
burgers.
- One school district replaced 25 to 30 percent of meat dishes
with textured vegetable protein.
Availability of Vegetarian Entr¹es
- 10 out of 12 have something to serve for vegetarian
requests (most commonly peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pizza,
or grilled cheese sandwich)—83 percent
- 2 out of 12 offer a variety of vegetarian offerings (such as
spaghetti marinara, taco salad with beans, tofu pups, vegetable
lasagna)—17 percent
|
|
