Eastern Iowa school lunches changing with new rules

Beets, beans and berries; they're what's for lunch in Eastern Iowa.

This academic year is the first for new federal regulations under the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act aimed at promoting good nutrition in school food.

“This is probably the biggest change,” said Marcia Purington, who has been food service director for 13 years at the Mount Vernon Community School District. “I think all school districts would agree this has been an overhaul of a sort.”

Schools can only provide 1-percent or skim milk. Whole grain-rich items must account for half of grain offerings and the amount of grain, meat and meat alternate items are all limited. Students are still required to take three of the five available items daily, but one must be a fruit or vegetable and those items are to be the largest components of students' lunches.

“I think, historically, a lot of us thought most of your plate should be your entree,” said Alison Demory, food service director for the Iowa City Community School District. “Now, with this change, we're realizing that most of your tray should be your fruit and your vegetable.”

Legumes, dark green and red or orange vegetables all must be served weekly.

“We've literally doubled the amount of fruit and vegetables going out the door,” said Suzy Ketelsen, food and nutrition manager for the Cedar Rapids Community School District.

Iowa's requirements also call for stricter regulations for a la carte items and vendors such as Papa John's, Subway and Pizza Hut. which offer food in the high school cafeterias in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, to meet the standards.

Student perspectives

Though the requirements are the same across the state, districts in Eastern Iowa have each faced different challenges.

On Monday in Mount Vernon, the menu included popcorn chicken, brown rice, vegetables in a chicken broth-based sauce, red and green bell pepper strips, mandarin oranges in a light syrup and pineapple chunks.

Neither Washington Elementary School second-grader Zach Fall of Lisbon nor his peer Kameron Brand of Mount Vernon, took any of the available vegetables.

“?‘Cause they're hot,” Zach said when asked why he opted not to try the peppers.

“They didn't look that good,” Kameron added. Neither student had ever had bell peppers before.

Purington hadn't checked with the schools to see how popular the peppers were and whether students actually ate them - - after all, students can take the vegetables in order to get the meal price and them toss them - but she said there didn't appear to be a lot of bell peppers left over from the meal.

“I don't think it does anybody any good if they're dumping their food in the garbage,” said Demory.

Reception uncertain

Given how early it is in the school year, Ketelsen said she also didn't have hard information on whether students are actually eating the fresh fruits and vegetables either.

“I would say it has gone very, very well but we are feeding huge numbers of kids,” she said. “They're taking advantage of the fruits and vegetables and it's a great problem to have.”

Zach's mother Kim works full-time in Washington Elementary's kitchen and noticed that “the littler kids are more picky than the older ones, especially with the veggies and stuff.”

“A lot of kids will take both fruits,” she said. “The peppers weren't a big hit today.”

Additional funding

The new requirements also call for school food authorities to receive an additional 6 cents per reimbursable meal in order to help schools meet the new mandates.

Even with that boost, the Cedar Rapids district had to implement a 15-cent price increase for students of all ages (but not for those who receive free and reduced-price meals) while Mount Vernon's fees rose 15 cents for elementary students, 20 cents for middle-school meals and 10 cents at the high school.

One struggle all three directors shared was trying to create one menu that pleases all palates. Meals must average out to between 550 and 650 calories for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, 600 to 700 calories for students in grades six through eight and 750 to 850 for ninth- through 12th-graders.

“No two kids are alike, especially even when you get to the high school level,” Demory said. “You might have a ninth-grader who's small and not very active versus a senior who's big and very active. Their appetites are going to be different and their needs are going to be different.”

For Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Mount Vernon, the restrictions are a continuation of changes those districts have already implemented. Fresh fruits and vegetables have been available in all three districts' cafeterias before this year. Over the years, Ketelsen's staff has reduced sodium content, phased out canned vegetables and introduced more whole grains.

“Quite honestly, we phase things in all the time and don't tell kids,” Ketelsen said. “We had foresight that (the new regulations were) coming and it was the right thing to do. All along we've been making these changes.”