OVERLAND PARK, Kan (Reuters) - When Annette Evanson sends her son off to elementary school each day, she packs him a lunch stocked with carrot sticks, whole-grain bread and fresh fruit.
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She considers it a defensive move. "They serve the kids corn dogs and hot dogs at school," said Evanson, who lives in suburban Overland Park, Kansas. "It just mimics fast food. What kind of example are we giving to the kids?"
Indeed, concerns about unhealthy eating at schools and evidence of mounting obesity and illness in America's young people has triggered a new kind of food fight in U.S. school cafeterias.
The front line has been a battle against sugar-laden soda pop in school vending machines, but now a growing army that includes parents, physicians and government officials is working to wipe out such lunchroom staples as cheese pizza, corndogs (hot dogs dipped in batter and fried) and french fries. They also want to stop teachers from handing out candy in classrooms.
"The whole school food environment has spiraled out of control," said Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy for Center for Science in the Public Interest.
ONSLAUGHT OF OPPOSITION
Opposition to change is strong. Many school leaders say kids reject unfamiliar foods and demand mainstays like burgers, fries and hotdogs. They say they need the money vending machine contracts provide. Teachers also are balking, claiming children are more eager to learn if offered candy and pizza parties.
The beverage industry, notably Coca-Cola Co. and Pepsi Bottling Group, are also active in the debate, dispatching lobbyists to defend sales of sodas in schools.
An onslaught of such opposition killed a bill proposed in Kansas this year that would have required healthy foods and drinks in school vending machines and would have banned teachers from handing out candy as a reward for schoolwork.
"There is resistance to change and it is at many levels," said Amy Lanou, senior nutrition scientist at Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. "We're a long way off from serving healthy foods to kids in schools."
Still, with a firm push from the federal level, including the Centers for Disease Control, the USDA and the U.S. Surgeon General, advocates of change say they are making proGREss.
Connecticut this year became the first U.S. state to pass a ban on selling sugar-based sodas in schools. Similar bills have been introduced in 17 others states.
On the food front, changes are largely being made school by school. Some changes are small: In some schools, pizza now is topped with low-fat cheese and french fries are baked, not fried.
Other changes are more significant: Kentucky is limiting sales of Pizza Hut products in cafeterias; Buffalo, New York, schools are giving prizes to kids who eat lots of fruits and vegetables; and in Sarasota, Florida, whole wheat bread and veggie pita sandwiches accompany several salad options.
Some are even going gourmet. The Marblehead Community Charter Public School in Massachusetts menu includes vegetable ratatouille, roasted butternut squash and spinach salad.
"We're starting to build some momentum, but there is so much that needs to be done," said Alicia Moag-Stahlberg, executive director of the national advocacy group Action for Healthy Kids.
WEIGHTY STATISTICS
The efforts to turn schools into healthy eating spots have been spurred by reports from the medical community that America's children are growing markedly fatter and sicker.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the number of overweight children ages 6 to 11 has more than doubled in the last 20 years while the number of overweight children ages 12-19 has more than tripled. Equally troubling, related health problems, including Type 2 diabetes, are increasingly being seen in children and adolescents.
Because of the range of concerns, the reauthorization last year of the federal Child Nutrition Act requires every school district that receives federal funds to establish a local wellness policy by June 30, 2006.
And new U.S. dietary guidelines released in January will force many school districts to revamp menus to incorporate more whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables.
The USDA is also pushing schools to improve. The agency is currently requesting data on the nutritional quality of meals at 400 U.S. schools to see if improvements have been made since the last such study, which found that only a minority of U.S. schools actually met recommended standards.
"It has become particularly important that we make healthful choices for our children in schools," said Roberto Salazar, administrator for the USDA Food Nutrition Service, which oversees the National School Lunch and School Breakfast. "We want them (schools) to go above and beyond."
