New federal school cafeteria recipes designed to support first lady Michelle Obama’s health mandate don’t meet the government’s demands for colorful veggies, low salt and low sugar foods and are being widely rejected because they aren’t “student friendly,” according to a survey of school nutrition professionals.
The survey found that especially large school systems, representing 54 percent of all students, slammed many of the Agriculture Department’s 226 specially designed recipes because they didn’t meet “the trends of today,” and clashed with “cultural diversity.”
Worse, the survey published in the Journal of Child Nutrition and Management said the USDA’s suggested breakfast, lunch and snack recipes didn’t meet the department’s own demand for healthier foods, the goal of Obama’s Let’s Move! and Recipes for Healthy Kids initiatives.
“The majority of [school nutrition] directors perceived that the USDA recipes do not adequately support the following issues: menu planning for dark green vegetables and red/orange vegetables, and compliance with meal pattern specifications regarding ‘no added sugar,’ ‘no syrup,’ and ‘sodium,'” said the group’s latest survey.
The journal is published by the School Nutrition Association and the study was done by the USDA-funded National Food Service Management Institute.
In a critical finding about the usage of USDA recipes, the survey said:
“Approximately one-fourth to one-third of respondents reported using the following recipe categories less than once a year: sauces, gravies, and seasonings, desserts, salads and salad dressings, sandwiches, soups, grains and bread, and vegetables. The USDA recipes received unfavorable ratings by the majority of respondents concerning the following issues: ‘meets trends of today,’ ‘cultural diversity,’ ‘regional appropriateness,’ ‘student friendly,’ and ‘variety.’ Approximately one-half to one-fourth of respondents do not use the USDA recipes for the following reasons: they have other recipes they prefer; the recipes are not current with today’s trends (40.4%); there is not enough variety and selection in the USDA recipes, they use mainly pre-made items at the SN program, and the USDA recipes are not student friendly.”
And they complained about costs in the analysis. “Most [school nutrition] directors reported the USDA recipes have an unreasonable impact on food cost. This is important because a major aspect of a [school nutrition] director’s job is maintaining budget compliance,” the survey said.
It’s the latest bad news for Obama’s push to make school food healthy — and delicious.
There was one good sign, however. Smaller school districts that actually cook items from scratch like many of the recipes.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
