Obesity in the Headlines

February 22, 2004 - Eau Claire Leader-Telegram

Not so happy meals
High-fat school lunches leave bad taste in parent's mouth

Julian Emerson
Leader-Telegram Staff

A veteran of school lunches, I've seen (and eaten) just about anything and everything that can be called "hot" lunch.

Sloppy joes (pretty good), chow mein (bad), baked chicken (really good), something on a shingle (God-awful) and lots of other food got me through those long school afternoons until supper.

A few of those lunches were far from good, but somehow after all these years I have a soft spot in my stomach for school lunch programs.

But this was too much.

During a recent noon hour I visited Flynn School to eat lunch with one of my daughters. While making my way through the lunch line, I couldn't find a vegetable offered.

Granted, I was eating pancakes and sausage as the main course. Still, I thought United States Department of Agriculture school lunch guidelines mandated at least some veggie be offered as part of the meal. So I asked the cook about the vegetable. I was shocked at the answer.

"The hash browns are considered a vegetable," I was told. What? A deep-fried, mostly fat, completely white potato product considered a vegetable? You've got to be kidding.

But the joke was on me. Or rather, on the thousands of Eau Claire students who eat lunch daily, and on the millions of children nationwide consuming high-fat lunches.

And here's the worst part - school districts here and elsewhere are feeding children high-fat lunches in an effort to make a buck.

That lunchtime visit prompted me to take a closer look at the lunches my two daughters eat each weekday. To better gauge the nutrition value of meals, I ate lunch at the school several more times during the past couple of weeks.

On those subsequent visits vegetables were offered as part of the meal. But I also noticed something else: fat is far too common a part of students' lunches. I saw too many sausages swimming in grease, chicken breaded when it could have been baked, and french fries instead of rice or noodles.

I'm not alone in noticing that school lunches look a little fatter these days. Many parents are concerned. "I think the school lunch program is atrocious," said Katy Phillips, a Flynn parent whose first-grade twins, Maggie and Ellie, attend the school. "There's way too much fat and not enough fresh fruits and vegetables."

A chat with Mary Jo Tuckwell, food service director in the Eau Claire school district, confirmed my suspicion the lunchroom has become a fatter place. She said she's heard parent concerns about the fat content of lunches.

Between 75 and 80 percent of lunches served in the district are USDA lunches, meaning they must meet certain dietary guidelines, one of which is a maximum

30 percent fat makeup (that seems like a lot to me). Those lunches, which come to the district pre-made, have become fatter in recent years, Tuckwell said, noting they still meet USDA dietary regulations.

For instance, a hamburger that three years ago was 16 percent fat is closer to 20 percent. Or take the chicken I ate at school the other day. It used to be about 20 percent fat; now it's closer to 30 percent.

And what about the other 20 to 25 percent of lunches offered? Those are a la carte selections such as pizza and milk shakes. They're offered at district secondary schools and often are fatter than the USDA lunches.

I asked Tuckwell why lunches have become more fatty at the same time we're all reading about the growing problem of child obesity (one in three children and teens are considered overweight). The answer, not surprisingly, boils down to an inept federal government policy and money.

Wisconsin school districts are reimbursed for each USDA hot lunch served. Since 1981 the percentage of reimbursement has dropped, meaning schools lose money on lunch programs.

Tuckwell said she could say no to pre-made USDA meals and seek lower-fat alternatives. But if she did the district would lose its reimbursement money and then buy other lunches at an added charge. "There's no way we could afford that," she said.

Beset with a school lunch program deficit in the early 1990s, districts like Eau Claire directed food service administrators to attract more students to the hot lunch programs. That too often meant pandering to their taste buds, which meant replacing lower fat beef stew and chili with high-fat this and breaded that.

It worked. More children began eating school lunch, and during the ensuring decade kitchens in all schools but one (Putnam Heights) were updated, at a cost of nearly $1 million. Other improvements were made as well, all paid for by school lunch profits.

But there is another cost: children's health.

Tuckwell, a dietician, knows all too well the effects of an unhealthy diet on the body. But she also realizes the reality of tight budgets and taking direction from the Eau Claire school board.

"I will always follow board policy. But some of this has been very hard philosophically for me at times," she said of higher-fat lunches.

With further predicted budget cutbacks, Tuckwell isn't optimistic the situation will improve in the next year or two. But a pilot project under way at three district elementary schools gives her hope for the future.

Students at Manz, Robbins and Sam Davey schools are part of a study examining student attitudes about diet and exercise. Changing those attitudes is key to convincing children to eat healthier, she said.

"We can put healthy food out right now, but most kids aren't going to eat it," she said. "Their parents want them to eat healthy, but the kids make different choices in the lunch line. We have to find a way to change that."

Eau Claire school board member Bob G. Janke said the board should re-examine its hot lunch policy. A comprehensive parent survey on school lunches - the first in the district in 13 years - is under way, and Tuckwell's idea to better educate students about eating well makes sense.

I realize the school district is facing difficult budget times, and I'm a big fan of programs paying for themselves. But there should be some exceptions, and a program that impacts children's health should be one of them.

Otherwise, our children had better prepare for a heavier - not healthier - future.