Parent Coalition Targets School Lunches

Hold the calcium propionate and trans fats, please.

That’s the message of a group of parents who formed a coalition to advocate for more nutritious, less processed foods served in Baltimore County Schools.

Last month, Baltimore County Healthy Kids Coalition obtained ingredient lists and detailed nutritional information for foods served in county schools, which the group published on the web along with commentary from a registered dietitian.

“It could be better, but it could be worse,” said coalition leader Kristie Henry, parent of a second-grader at Rogers Forge Elementary School.

“Kids go to school to learn,” Henry said. “They’re not learning the right things there. They’re learning that fruit is frozen fruit with whipped topping on it. Their palates learn that this is what food is supposed to taste like.”

The same menu is served throughout the school system, which includes such go-to favorites as chicken nuggets, pizza, hot dogs and taco salad.

According to the group’s dietitian, “the stuffed shells are one of the better options for a child’s school lunch” with a good amount of protein and a moderate amount of fat.

The cheese steak sub, however, has a whopping 60% of calories from fat – about twice recommended levels – and given the trans fats and processed ingredients the mozzarella sticks are a “nutritional loser,” according to the dietitian.

Baltimore County schools already publishes nutritional information at its web site. But only basic data are provided, such as calories and grams of protein, carbs and fats.

Through the coalition, Henry wants to provide more detailed information, including ingredient lists of food products served at schools.

The coalition’s goal is to work with the school system to provide alternatives that are less processed, such breaded fresh chicken breast rather than nuggets made form mechanically deboned meat and filler.

“We’re trying to work with the school system and not storm the castle,” said Henry.

The group has held several meetings with the school system’s Office of Food and Nutrition Services and walked away with incremental successes.

Henry said that the coalition persuaded the county schools to stop categorizing gelatin as fruit, and to stop serving whipped topping on fruits.

“It’s small steps,” Henry said. “We knew from the beginning that there would be small steps.”

The coalition is working to build its membership and involvement of school parents from throughout the county, and plans to continue publishing food ingredients and nutritional analyses on the web, she said.

“We just want our kids to learn good habits from early life,” Henry said.

Karen Levenstein, director of Office of Food and Nutrition Services for county schools, declined to comment on Baltimore County Healthy Kids Coalition or its efforts to inform parents about food ingredients.

“We knew they were going to post it to their blog,” Levenstein said. “It’s information that’s available. They asked for it, we provided it. We don’t have any comment beyond that.”