There is no doubt that school lunch is a hot topic these days. With the continued fight to combat childhood obesity, it’s important to continue to evaluate school lunch programs and insure our children are receiving healthy meals. More than 32 million children receive a lunch as a part of USDA’s National School Lunch Program, for some of these children; it may be the only meal they receive. Now more than ever, it is important for chefs to get involved in helping to create healthier menus for schools and to help educate children on healthy food choices.
The Chef’s Move to Schools initiative is a great opportunity for chefs to play an important role in local school districts and be able to utilize their knowledge of food and nutrition to incorporate healthy meals into school breakfast and lunch programs and meeting child nutrition guidelines set by the USDA. One way to incorporate this knowledge is through hands on cooking classes. Through this method, students are able to taste these healthy foods and then able to provide feedback on what type of foods they would like to see served in the cafeteria. More tips and strategies on how to creat a successful program are provided in the Chef’s Move to Schools guide along with how to get started at the Lets Move! Chefs Move to Schools website at http://www.letsmove.gov/chefs-move-schools. School districts wishing to be connected with a chef in their area may also visit the website for more information.
The Chef’s Move to Schools initiative is proving to steer schools in a healthier direction for providing healthy school meals to students. It is important to continue to raise awareness of this beneficial program and get more chefs in to schools.
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