by Sarah Tanner, Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Education Program Coordinator
Last week Houston ISD hosted its first-ever, district-wide Nutrition Innovation Food Show. Allowing students, parents, and community members to have a chance to taste-test new products and ask questions of food suppliers was a step in the right direction. However, the show left one wondering where all the truly nutritious foods were. The only product that resembled something grown in the ground was pre-diced white potatoes! Other fruits and vegetables were freeze-dried, packed in salty water, or pureed into a colorful pouch. It is disappointing that HISD is reinforcing the idea that children will only accept fruits and vegetables after processing them to an unrecognizable form.
Beyond fruits and vegetables, vendors provided samples of many of the ready-made meals that are served in school cafeterias. Most foods were touted as low-fat or whole grain, but a closer look at the ingredient lists filled with added sugar and unpronounceable ingredients are still a cause for concern. Of course, until schools have more money to spend on school lunches, utilizing frozen foods and some level of preservatives is necessary. However, one vendor was more than ready to explain how chemical dyes are used so their food would more closely resemble the fried food students are accustomed to! That certainly doesn't seem necessary.
A concerted effort has obviously been made to reduce calories, but vendors (and the schools they sell to) are still missing the point. Until schools are able to provide whole ingredients and fresh fruits and vegetables, the nutritional needs of students are not being met.
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