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As Federal Child Nutrition Programs Undergo Reauthorization, Groups Help Schools Provide Healthy, Affordable Lunches
At the same time that Congress and the president offer proposals to improve child nutrition programs, Oakland, Calif.-based Revolution Foods is seeking to improve school lunches, offering schools the opportunity to provide students with healthy foods at an affordable price. The approximately $3.00 per meal the company charges to produces meals from scratch that meet U.S. Department of Agriculture nutrition standards is slightly more than $2.68 the federal government reimburses for school lunches. More than 250 schools in California, Colorado and Washington, D.C., have enlisted the services of Revolution Foods. The company also has partnerships with Whole Foods Market and local grocers and manufacturers that allow it to purchase ingredients at a discount and extend the savings to schools. Acknowledging that “providing a tasty school meal can increase attendance, boost student focus and, especially among younger children, improve lifelong nutritional habits,” Irene Holtzman, the director of student data and accountability for KIPP LEAP Academy, a charter school in Southeast Washington, D.C., notes that the school has struggled financially with its lunch program despite the relatively low price.To cover the gap between what the federal government pays and what Revolution Foods charges, the school had to secure a $25,000 grant. For schools that may be unable to afford the Revolution Foods program, school lunch crusader Ann Cooper has partnered with the Lunch Box Web site to offer menus, recipes and technical tools schools can use for budget planning to decrease their reliance on packaged and processed foods (Black, Washington Post, 9/30/09 [registration required]).