Dr. Batada is currently a Nutrition Policy Fellow at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) in Washington, DC.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has been working with the American Public Health Association to improve the nutritional quality of school foods.

Over the last decade, schools have made progress to improve the nutritional quality of school lunches and breakfasts.  However, foods sold outside of the school lunch and breakfast programs – out of vending machines, school stores, a la carte in the cafeteria, and fundraisers – are too often nutritionally poor. 

To assist schools in improving nutrition and other aspects of the school environment, CSPI worked with 50 other members of the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity – or NANA – to develop model policies that serve as a strong set of policies to work toward over time.  Those policies and background materials are available at www.schoolwellnesspolicies.org.  Other CSPI resources include a School Foods Tool Kit, a School Foods Report Card, reports on healthy and unhealthy fundraising, and more, available at www.cspinet.org/nutritionpolicy.  

At the national level, a key step toward improving school foods is to pass the national Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act (S.771/H.R.1363). Currently, the US Department of Agriculture’s nutrition standards only limit the sale of soda, lollipops and other foods of minimal nutritional value.  They don’t address calories, saturated or trans fat, or salt.  Under the current law, Dove bars can be sold, most Popsicles can’t.  Candy bars are in, seltzer water is out.  Also, even those weak USDA standards apply only in the cafeteria during meal times.  It needs to cover all venues that sell food to kids throughout the school day. 

We need your help.  Nutrition and other health professionals should urge congressional representatives to cosponsor the Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act (S.771/H.R.1363), which would allow USDA to update its school nutrition standards.  More information about the bill and a link to a model letter you can send to your Senators and Congressional Representative is at www.schoolfoods.org.

What's a Junk Food (According to the USDA)?  Click here to find out.