Oakland gets serious about school food
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 at 6:36 pm in health2 Comments »
photo by D. Ross Cameron/Staff
For the first time in 15 years, the federal government has rewritten the rules for what must — and can’t — be served in its public school lunchrooms. Meanwhile, some OUSD staff, parents and local organizations are formulating some plans of their own, which they presented at the last school board meeting.
It was well into the evening, and some of us joked about having to sit through the presentation on an empty stomach. It later dawned on me how remarkable that was: the thought of cafeteria food inducing an appetite, rather than ruining it!
Although the presentation coincided with the new federal standards, it wasn’t focused on compliance. (Speaking of compliance, you’ll find more information about the new USDA rules .) Instead, we heard about ideas to radically change the system so that children who rely on subsidized meals — and those who buy their lunches
