Take the obesity fight to school

By The Gazette Editorial Board

---

New school nutrition guidelines are giving federal regulators more control over the food served in school lunches across the country.

We understand why that might concern some people. Usually, we agree it's better for such decisions to be handled by the parents and educators who best know their kids and their schools.

But this country faces an epidemic of childhood obesity. State health officials say 30 percent of Iowa's kids already are overweight or obese by the third grade.

With about 32 million children participating in the national School Lunch Program, the school cafeteria is a logical place to target for improving our kids' health and wellness.

Meals served at school represent a significant number of calories consumed by young people, and because the federal government supplies some of that lunchtime fare, it makes sense that the U.S. Department of Agriculture would have a say in how it's served.

The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act gives the USDA authority to set nutritional standards for all foods sold in schools - including lunches, a la carte items, and food sold in vending machines and school stores.

It provides financial incentives for schools that comply with those standards and requires schools to make it easier for parents to learn about the nutritional quality of school meals.

The changes will make it easier for children in poverty to benefit from school meals programs, streamlining the application process for families of students who qualify for free and reduced breakfasts and lunches.

Of course, tougher federal guidelines for healthier school lunches won't be enough on their own to change Americans' poor eating habits.

Local school communities still have a vital role to play in teaching children healthier habits and driving changes in our food culture - from the farm to the market to the cafeteria and dinner plates at home - and in creating healthy, nutritious school meals the kids actually will eat.

By making changes - like baking food instead of frying it, offering more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole-grains and lower-fat milk and cheese - schools can help give kids a taste for more than chicken nuggets and fries.

And nationwide lunch rules means there will be plenty of schools in Iowa and other states to swap recipes and ideas.

We agree with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who has called the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act a historic victory for our nation's kids.

Critics are right in one regard: Healthier meals may increase food costs in some cases, especially in the winter months when fresh produce can be harder to come by.

But not doing what we can to make sure our kids eat healthier will cost us even more: a lifetime of poor health habits, shortened life expectancy and diseases that are preventable.