Advocacy/Organizing Resources
Action Ideas for Improving School Foods
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here for PDF version of this page.
The area of nutrition in the schools is quite large. The
following provides a sense of the variety of issues that can
be addressed.
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Foods Sold and Served
Breakfast and lunch programs
Beverages in vending machines
Snacks in vending machines
After-school snack programs
Candy as classroom rewards
School parties and celebrations
Fundraising events
Issues:
Nutritional standards
Pricing
Portion size
Promotion of healthy foods
Procurement of food products
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The Food Environment
Facilities
Time allowed for lunch
Marketing of foods in school
Nutrition education in the curriculum
Guidelines for home-packed foods
People Considerations
Parent education
Teacher training
Teachers and administrators as role models
Food service personnel training
Coordination with parent-teacher organizations
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Hot Topics
- Restricting sale of sodas and high fructose corn syrup
drinks in school vending machines.
- Improving the nutritional quality of snacks served in
school vending machines.
- Developing nutritional standards for or improving the
nutritional quality of "competitive foods" - those not part
of the federally-funded meal programs.
In the 2005-2006 academic year, the HOTTEST topic will be
developing a WELLNESS POLICY. All school districts that are
part of a federally-funded meal or snack program must have
a wellness policy in place by August 2006. This policy must
include nutrition guidelines for ALL foods served in schools.
PARENTS and THE PUBLIC MUST BE INVOLVED in the process of
developing the policy. Click here
for more information.
What You Can Do
Get to know administrators, health professional staff, and
teachers and find allies who support your efforts. Making
personal contact, by phone or in person, with these individuals
lets them know there is support for change in the community
and it allows you to identify opportunities for making change
happen.
Letter writing, especially from parents, can also be very
effective. Letters can be sent to the district superintendent,
other staff, and the school board, as well as to local newspapers.
Key Resources and Guides for Action
To help plan your strategy and actions, consider spending
some time reviewing existing
guides and resources.
The following resources are a good starting point:
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