See You at Lunch: Student Nutrition Is in the News

The start of the 2006-2007 school year may well bring some “healthy” changes to school cafeterias, as the $16 billion Child Nutrition Act takes effect. The June 14, 2006, edition of Education Week reported on this new federal law, which requires school districts receiving federal funds to develop “wellness” policies for this school year.

According to the article, districts’ policies must encompass goals for nutrition education and provide nutritional guidelines for all the food campuses during regular school operation. In addition, the law requires districts to include increased activity levels for students as part of the policy. Cafeterias, snack bars, and vending machines will all come under increased scrutiny as part of this initiative.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is playing a key role in this new program and provides oversight for school lunch, breakfast, and summer food programs. According to the Education Week article, the department has created a document available online, which offers example-based guidance to districts.

Are there sales and marketing opportunities in this latest educational “reform” movement? The answer is yes—and it applies to both food and beverage vendors and their colleagues in the content arena as well. “Healthy” foods will certainly be of greater interest to school food service managers as they go forward this year. And for content and curriculum developers, health, nutrition, activity, and wellness will also certainly receive more attention across the curriculum and in the library as well.