Posted by Fiona Saiter on Jan.28, 2010

©iStockphoto.com - DivaNir4a

We trust the schools when our children step into the building and when they buy lunch that they will be getting a healthy and safe meal. The federally assisted meal program, The National School Lunch program (NSLP), was started in 1946 by President Harry Truman. The USDA states that they provide nutritionally balanced and low cost or free to children everyday. But like every large organization, they need us as parents and as citizens to ensure they are doing what is best for our children. Here are some difficulties the NSLP has had and what you can do to make a difference in your child’s school to ensure the best quality food and drinks.

The USDA states that families with incomes under 130% of the federal poverty level can receive free meals. In the summer of 2009-2010, 130% of the poverty level was $28,665. Further, reduced-cost meals are available for children from families with an income between 130%-185% of the federal poverty level; reduced-price lunch eligibility tops out at $40,793 for a family of four. Families with income above 185% pay full price for meals.

Milk

The good news if your child does buy lunch at school they may now be drinking milk that is at least rBGH free. Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone  is the artificial hormone used to help increase milk supply from cows. This may be linked to some cancers. If you’re really lucky, your school may be offering organic milk. Organic milk is produced with out the use of antibiotics or pesticides. Sometimes pesticides can be persistent in the water and soil after many years and some can still be found in Organic milk, but not as much as regular milk. According to WebMD, organic milk has more vitamins, antioxidants, omega-3’s, CLA (increases immunity, muscles growth, and metabolism, reduces cholesterol, allergic reactions, and abdominal fat). Drinking organic milk helps protect children against eczema and asthma.

The Food and Water Watch successfully won a campaign to give schools the choice to choose organic or rBGH-free milk. Both Congress and the USDA gave schools the go-ahead to make healthier choices for our kids. People like you who contacted members of congress through the Milk Days of Action made it happen. You can still check with your school to make sure they are offering milk that is at least rBGH-free and if they are not then make them aware you are not happy and that they now have the choice with little or no price difference.

Meat

Another thing to be aware of is the largest beef recall in the United States because of animal abuse into the Hallmark Meat Packing Co. of Chino in Southern California. According to MSNBC, 143 million pounds of beef were recalled and involved in the animal abuse investigation. Hallmark Meat Packing Company is one of the largest suppliers of beef to the National School Program, the needy and the elderly. USA Today reported that many fast food restaurants had stricter food safety standards than the USDA had for the Federal School Lunch Program meat. MSNBC said that 37 million pounds of the recalled beef went to the schools and most of the meat has already been eaten. The veterinarian wasn’t contacted when the workers realized the cattle were too sick to walk, and this violates health regulations.

The investigator from The Humane Society was working in the plant for about six weeks according to the President of the Humane Society of the USA, Wayne Pacelle. He said the downer cows or animals too sick to walk were forced in various ways to get them up and these were not isolated incidences. This causes questions about food safety because the animal’s immune system is down and they lie in feces. The cattle are more susceptible to mad cow disease, E. coli, and salmonella.

Wayne Pacelle told the Humane Society,”This must serve as a five-alarm call to action for Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Our government simply must act quickly both to guarantee the most basic level of humane treatment for farm animals and to protect America’s most vulnerable people, our children, needy families and the elderly from potentially dangerous food.”

Be Proactive

What can you do to help make sure the schools food is safe? You can start by signing petitions to let the right officials know that you want things changed. Food Safety News gave the link to Food Democracy Now! An organization of farmers and others asking members to sign a petition demanding the USDA to apply better testing and standards. You can sign the Food Democracy Now! petition.

You can also make a difference in the safety of school lunches by notifying other people of the problems. You can let others know that schools now have a choice to purchase milk produced without artificial hormones through the Food & Water Watch website.

By contacting people and organizations in charge and letting friends and others know about a problem, we can make a difference in the safety of school meals.

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Posted under Family, GDM Kids, Tweens, Teens, GDM News & Politics, Health Alerts.