School kitchens take fresh approach for healthier foods.

The article can be found here.

   This article is about the conflicts that arise with farm-to-school movements. A lot of work goes into preparing fresh produce, many of the lunch workers are not chefs, they are there because they like the kids. They often lack proper culinary training because most of the food they receive is already processed cutting and preparing is a whole different process. Because schools feed so many students, small local farmers may not be able to supply the bushels and pounds needed for each meal. Larger school districts face challenges in finding enough fresh foods and the costs of hand-preparing foods on a large scale. Smaller districts may not have proper equipment or storage space, and workers may need culinary training (article).

   The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, signed by Barack Obama on December 13, 2010, funds standard child nutrition and school lunch programs. One of the new nutrition standards is to provide resources for schools and communities to utilize local farms and gardens to provide fresh produce. I think that it is important that we are making healthy food a standard in our schools and that we are doing our best to integrate the local farms. Though it has faced some challenges, the health of our nation is important enough that we should continue to pursue change at root of it all: the children. If we enforce healthy eating from the start, it becomes easier for kids to make healthier decisions on their own. I think it was necessary that our federal government stepped in and gave an overall standard for our nation to strive toward. Though serving healthier food in schools will inevitably cost more, taxpayers could decide it's worth it. A recent Wisconsin poll found 77 percent of 300 people surveyed said they were willing to pay more for locally grown foods in schools (article). All in all, I think it's important that we support our local farms, incorporate more fresh produce in our schools, and provide proper culinary training to our lunch workers.