Title: Reinventing School Lunch (2007 Third Year Paper)
Author(s): Martha Jeong
Subject & Subject keywords: Food and Drug Law "nutrition" "" "school lunch"
Abstract:The first efforts at feeding children in schools took place sporadically from the endeavors of private individuals and organizations that recognized children need to be fed first before they can be educated well. When it became clear that the problem of hungry children in the school system was a national concern, the federal government stepped up to the plate in 1946 with the National School Lunch Act in order to both fund and regulate. Over the years as we have transitioned into a generation that feeds off of fast food and junk food, it has become apparent that as the national problem has shifted from hungry bodies to unhealthy bodies, the solution in schools needs to shift as well. The current school lunch system most prevalent across the nation is overrun by the availability of junk food in vending machines and unhealthy school meals, and it is due time for creative change. The paper discusses different successful school lunch models taking place across the country that strive to solve the current problem by integrating the act of school lunch into the larger education curriculum. They espouse the values of general health and wellbeing by emphasizing how the food we grow, cook and eat contribute to that important process.