Schools Launch Snack Attack

With a slice of hot cheese pizza in one hand and a slushy, iced cappuccino in the other, Intan Sebastian, a junior at Reseda High, had a suggestion for adults who want to restrict what she eats at school.

“They should worry about other things,” Intan said during a recent lunch break in the campus courtyard. “For instance, we need more books.”

Long the target of kids grossed out by watery sloppy joes and tasteless meatloaf, school food is under fire from a different source: politicians.

Los Angeles Unified School District board members and state lawmakers have said too many students are consuming lunches and snacks loaded with fat, sugar and salt.

In the last few weeks, the school board and the state Senate have approved measures aimed at boosting nutritional value in cafeteria fare in elementary, middle and high schools.

The school board unanimously adopted a motion May 8 ordering a nutritional analysis of school food. An outside consultant is expected to conduct the study, which will not get underway for several months, Supt. Roy Romer said.

On June 6, the Senate passed a bill written by Sen. Martha Escutia (D-Whittier) that by 2004 would limit the fat and sugar in school food. The regulations are similar to those set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but the state bill also would ban sales of carbonated drinks on campus.

In addition, it would probably limit sales of snack foods--such as candy bars and chips--sold by students to raise funds for athletics, dances and other extracurricular activities.

“If we can’t sell [snacks], it will threaten all after-school programs,” said Reseda Principal Robert Kladifko, who added that his school raises about $100,000 a year from snack and soda sales.

Many California high schools and some middle schools raise money through such sales because the state does not fully fund nonacademic programs, such as sports.

“While selling junk food and soda may bring in money for schools, it does so at the expense of our children’s health,” Escutia said recently. “I would be incredibly disappointed if our schools were to say that that’s an acceptable trade-off.”

Her bill, which passed the Senate by a 22-15 vote and is pending in the Assembly, would not have much effect on school-made lunches because districts already follow the federal guidelines.

L.A. Unified has 11 state-accredited dietitians who plan menus for the district’s 722,000 students using guidelines set by the Department of Agriculture.

The smaller Norwalk-La Mirada District follows the same rules in preparing 9,500 lunches, and like other public districts is audited by the state every five years to ensure that federal guidelines are being followed, said Jenny Gamachi, head of food services.

“Even the bill won’t change what we serve,” Gamachi said, referring to Escutia’s legislation.

The USDA requires that no more than 30% of a meal’s calories be derived from fat and no more than 10% from saturated fat. There also are protein, iron and vitamin requirements. In 1989, LAUSD adopted a policy to further limit fat, sugar and salt and increase fiber in meals.

For example, ground turkey is used in place of beef for tacos and chili, breaded and fried items have been replaced with roasted foods, and butter has been eliminated from cooked vegetables, district nutritionists said.

If Escutia’s bill becomes law, only a few minor changes would be required in L.A. Unified menus, said Orlando Griego, the district’s head of food services.

“We already have strict nutritional requirements,” he said. “We defend what we serve.”

Board members said they ordered the analysis to make sure students are eating nutritional meals.

“We want the comfort level of knowing what we’re serving,” said Julie Korenstein, who represents the central San Fernando Valley. “Then we can figure out, No. 1, do we really need to make changes, and if so, what?”

Although LAUSD middle and high schools can serve pizza or sandwiches purchased from outside vendors, most of the campus food, including 465,000 lunches a day, is prepared by the district’s food services department.

This year, 23 elementary schools provided salad bars, and many high schools served “salad shakers” in plastic cups and grilled chicken salads.

At Woodland Hills Elementary, the salad is such a hit that the school quickly went from two bars to four, Principal Anna Feig said.

The popularity of greens and fruits may be on the rise, but pizza and chicken nuggets are in highest demand, said Griego, who annually surveys thousands of students.

Generally, the surveys indicate that students agree healthy eating is best, but they also want options. And many, especially teenagers, do not want to feel as if they are being controlled.

“Just because they don’t sell it on campus doesn’t mean we’re going to stop eating it,” said Rana Sharif, student body president at Reseda High School. “We’re going to keep eating junk food, a lot of it.”