School meals provides quality food for students

By Georganne P. Syler

I'm a retired dietetics professor at SEMO and was concerned about the "sidebar story" within the excellent article on the USDA school lunch program in Monday's Southeast Missourian.

The headline reads: "Author scorches school lunches." Dr. Keith Kantor is quoted endorsing bringing lunches from home as being preferable to purchasing USDA meal. His comments were so odd (and not supported by nutrition research). I found his PhD and ScD are from an unaccredited online school -- Corllin University.

There are many respected authorities in nutrition at SEMO University, Mizzou, SIU-Carbondale, St Louis University, Washington University as well as registered dietitians at both local hospitals who would have been delighted to comment on this article. Highlighting a self-promoting author with no legitimate credentials is a disservice to your readers and it is a disservice to those who are working to provide healthy meals to our children.

USDA-sponsored school lunches and school breakfasts provide essential, quality food to our school children in Cape Girardeau and Jackson. An amazing number receive free and reduced lunches due to financial need -- implying that their meals are inadequate is incorrect and irresponsible.

Georganne P. Syler is a registered dietician and retired associate professor from Cape Girardeau.