Schools across the Washington area are stocking their cafeterias with nutritious foods such as whole wheat and hummus, trying to get students to choose healthy fare and avoid traditional favorites like pizza and french fries — and they’re even listing calories and fat content on menu boards.
But nutrition experts say the efforts may harm young children, and parents and high schoolers call the initiatives ineffective at best.
Fairfax County this year started an aggressive menu overhaul, scrapping chicken nuggets and corndogs, swapping hotdogs for turkey dogs, and expanding whole-wheat options to bagels and soft pretzels, as well as offering either yogurt or hummus “Biteable” meals every day.
Arlington County schools have introduced “Meatless Mondays.”
