THE SKINNY ON SCHOOL FOOD

School meals get leaner and more nutritious, but are children really eating what's good for them?

A recent report from the U.S. Agriculture Department shows that school meals are lower in fat and calories than they were in the early 1990s. A second report on children's diets shows that children who eat school meals get more nutrients and vitamins than their counterparts who don't eat at school.

While the nutritional value of school lunches has improved, there are still some obstacles to overcome.

Children today are better educated about nutrition, but whether they opt to follow what they are taught is another thing, said Lisa Elfrink, director of food services for Cape Girardeau schools.

"Kids choose what foods they know. If they are eating a lot of pizza at home, they're going to choose pizza at school. It's pretty hard to overcome what they have been learning at home," said Marilyn Hurt, president of the American School Food Service Association.

Secondary schools have particular challenges when it comes to school meals because many teen-agers don't eat on campus and more snacks are available to the students.

"As kids get older, they tend to drop out of the lunch program and there's a concern about what they may be eating instead," said Lynn Parker of the Food Research and Action Center, an advocacy group.

From kindergarten on, students learn about nutrition, the food pyramid and servings. Yet, there are more food choices and healthier choices for lunch today than before, Elfrink said.

Slightly more than half the students enrolled at Central Junior High School eat a meal served in the cafeteria each day. Some students bring their lunch from home, like Sam Maguire, but others head straight to the vending machine for a meal.

Maguire, 15, says he's not picky about his food but prefers to pack his own lunch. On Tuesday, it included chips, Ritz bits crackers and a sandwich. Most of the food served by the cafeteria has been fried, he said, and that's not what he likes to eat.

Jon Walter, 13, chose a cheeseburger, french fries, pudding, and vegetables and dip for his lunch Tuesday.

"It's a pretty good meal," he said, vowing to eat the vegetables except for the cauliflower.

Students are required to select an entree item and at least two additional items -- puddings, gelatin, salads, vegetables or fruit -- from the menu before heading to a table in the cafeteria. They can choose fruit juices, milk or water to drink.

But despite their best efforts, cafeteria workers know that snack food consumption continues to rise. A report on children's diets says children get only 19 percent of their daily food intake while at school, which means most of their meals come away from school -- and that doesn't always mean they are nutritious.

Vending machines in the school cafeteria include offerings like bags of potato chips, candy bars, chocolate chip cookies, granola bars and peanuts.

"What choice they make is up to them," Elfrink said. "By that age, supposedly they know enough to make that choice. And they can make a wise choice or a not so wise choice."

Jamala Garmon, 14, stood in a line three deep waiting to reach the vending machines in the cafeteria. He usually eats food from the machine for lunch each day, instead of eating from the cafeteria.

"I eat this more than that," he said of the snack machines. "There are some things I don't like and they don't always give a good description of what you're eating."

The snack machines at Central are stocked by the food service staff.

Schools try to do better. Under pressure from the government, they have trimmed fat, cholesterol and sodium from lunches and breakfasts and offer children more fruits and vegetables, the government says.

A decade ago, barely a third of elementary schools offered students low-fat lunches. Now, four of five schools do, according to the Agriculture Department.

The reports on school nutrition and children's diets are based on surveys done in 1998-99 and compared to similar surveys done in 1991-92. After the initial surveys, the Agriculture Department began requiring schools to meet minimum standards for nutrients.

The USDA, which provides menu recommendations to schools, also subsidizes the school lunch and breakfast program.

"What we've really been focusing on for the last six years is to enhance our school meals so that they do offer nutrient-dense foods that will benefit our children," Hurt said.

Elfrink said all schools can do is educate children and encourage them to make better food choices.