5 Ideas that Revolutionize School Lunch

It's been more than 30 years since Congress raised the federal reimbursement rate for lunches served in America's public schools. Given the lack of funding, it's easy to understand why the country's cafeterias dish out gross, unhealthy meals like processed chicken nuggets, rubbery hot dogs, and tasteless pizza slices every day. And while the House is expected to vote today on the Child Nutrition Act, legislation that would raise the federal reimbursement rate for the first time since 1973, some innovative programs are already thinking way outside the lunch box.

A number of sustainable foodies and organizations refuse to wait for the federal government to improve cafeteria meals — they want kids to eat healthier now. Check out these five programs that are turning the lunch tables on cafeteria dining.

1) The Great American Salad Bar Project

Chef Ann Cooper, also known as the "Renegade Lunch Lady," founded the non-profit Food Family Farming Foundation and "The Lunch Box," a Web site that offers tips and tools to push forward school lunch reform. Cooper's most recent innovation is the Great American Salad Bar Project, an initiative that aims to put fresh, healthy salad bars in 300 U.S. schools by 2011. The project partnered with Whole Foods to collect donations from shoppers, and folks can also donate online.

2) Healthy Vending Machines

Many school cafeterias feature vending machines stuffed with unhealthy munchies like potato chips and cookies — but what if kids could choose snacks that actually benefited their bodies and the planet? One school in Ohio and another in central New York aimed to find out by installing vending machines stocked only with bags of baby carrots. Turns out when youngsters are given healthy options, they'll go for the fruits and veggies. Both schools report that the carrot vending machines have been pretty popular amongst students.

3) Chefs Move to Schools

Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" initiative hopes to solve America's childhood obesity epidemic within a generation, and one area the First Lady is focusing on is school lunch. Her "Chefs Move to Schools" program gets professional chefs to "adopt" a local public school. These chefs then visit the schools regularly to provide lessons about healthy eating, food preparation, and the value of incorporating fresh fruits and veggies into diets. By educating kids at a young age about nutrition, schools can ensure that students develop life-long, healthy eating habits.

4) School Gardens

Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Foundation is a veritable goldmine of sustainable foodie endeavors, and one of the most important the organization undertakes is its Edible Schoolyard initiative. The program creates gardens and instructional kitchens right on public school property, where kids can learn about how to grow and prepare food and eat healthy. The gardens also serve as a living pantry for school's cafeterias, so kids can eat fresh, local produce in their lunches every day.

5) Farm-to-School Programs

Most school cafeterias throughout the country rely on frozen, pre-packaged lunches that are trucked in by massive catering companies. Farm-to-school programs offer a decidedly healthier and more environmentally friendly flow of ingredients. Cafeterias that use farm-to-school programs source fresh fruits and veggies from local farmers. If the Child Nutrition Act does pass in its current iteration, it would provide more funding for schools to implement farm-to-school initiatives.

The Child Nutrition Act is far from perfect, and even if it is passed, America's got a long way to go to really reform its crippled school lunch program. Still, this bill is a step in a decidedly healthier and more sustainable direction. Sign our petition asking Congress to stop dallying and reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act now.

Photo credit: Bruce Tuten via Wikimedia Commons