Healthier School Lunches


LA COSTA CANYON’S CHALLENGES AND PROMISE by Kathryn Hopkins


tion. These influential individuals have devised initiatives and campaigns focused on improving the quality of food in schools and increasing physical education for children. Obama’s Let’s Move initiative, Oliver’s Food Revolution


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campaign and Waters’ Edible Schoolyard crusade are making waves and attracting the attention of local schools and inter- ested individuals such as Debbie Quebedeaux, the nutrition service administrator at La Costa Canyon High School (LCC), in Encinitas, attended by 2,512 students. Quebedeaux’s insights shed light on the types of accomplishments and chal- lenges encountered in changing school lunch programs. “LCC is an example of an administration that is work- ing to create a healthy, yet practical environment, and at the same time is being challenged to accomplish its goal by the students’ freedom to make their own food choices,” explains Quebedeaux, who notes that during recent years, several im- provements have been made to the school’s lunch offerings. “We eliminated sodas and candy and only offer baked potato


irst Lady Michelle Obama and well-known chefs Jamie Oliver and Alice Waters share an ambitious goal: solv- ing the epidemic of childhood obesity within a genera-


chips, low-fat, soft serve ice cream and reduced fat pizza.” Approximately 120 breakfasts and 800 meal combo lunches are sold daily, not including à la carte items. “Meal combos sold include bread, meat, fruits and vegetables,” she says. Although LCC does its best to provide students with their


nutritional needs, Quebedeaux points out that some factors are beyond the school’s control. “Students spend their money and make their choices, which means that items such as Pop Tarts, chips, cookies and donuts are still being sold and consumed,” notes Quebedeaux. Seniors have the privilege of going off campus for lunch, personally deciding what ends up on plates or between fingers. If their choices reflect LCC’s revitalized menu, the teens will opt for tasty, but healthful fare. Quebedeaux is confi- dent that LCC’s positive changes, aligned with the missions expressed by Obama, Oliver and Waters, will continue to tip the scales in a healthier direction.


For more information: Let’s Move, LetsMove.gov; Food Revo- lution, JamieOliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution; Edible Schoolyard, EdibleSchoolyard.org.


First Lady Michelle Obama’s Nationwide Campaign


According to the White House


Task Force on Childhood Obesity Report to the President, 31 million


children participate in the National School Lunch Program and more than 11 million participate in the National School


Breakfast Program, consuming at least half their daily calories at school. During the next five years, an estimated 1 million students will be added to the program. The Let’s Move initiative’s multi-faceted


First Lady Michelle Obama 30


approach aims to provide all school children with access to healthier snacks and meals, while simultaneously promoting physical fitness. In a concerted effort to reduce calorie counts, increase nutritional intake and improve fitness,


San Diego Edition www.na-sd.com


the HealthierUS Schools Challenge program, a voluntary initiative, establishes rigorous standards for school food quality, participation in meal programs, physical activity and nutri- tion education. During the next school year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, working with partners in schools and the private sector, will double the number of schools that meet the program’s requirements and add 1,000 schools per year for two years after that. To put children on track to a healthier life, the Obama administration also plans to update the Child Nutrition Act and has proposed an annual $1 billion increase in the federal budget for the next 10 years to im- prove the quality of school meals.


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