Navigating the Politics of School Food by Shannon Loman

Early last summer, as I contemplated a list of the available community rotations for my upcoming intern year, I was thrilled to see Goleta Union School District (GUSD) was a potential rotation site. Not only do my children attend one of the schools in the district, but I was drawn to the prospect of kid-friendly menu planning, recipe development, and adapting nutrition education to a younger audience. I assumed that with my culinary background and having children of my own, school food would be a perfect fit.

In many ways I was right! As I settled into my rotation at GUSD after a whirlwind winter break, I found myself feeling energized and inspired. I was encouraged by my preceptor’s passion for introducing new foods and flavors to students, and jumped at the opportunity to help her develop a new menu item. Even calculating how to make meals meet regulatory requirements didn’t feel like work. But what I didn’t count on, was the politics.

School food service directors must engage in a delicate balancing act to ensure students, particularly those most in need, have access to nutritious food while keeping food and labor costs low enough to operate within an incredibly tight budget. Particularly in schools with a lower percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price meals, federal reimbursement rates often aren’t high enough to keep food service departments in the black. This can have a negative impact on food quality with many schools relying heavily on processed foods that require minimal preparation, to reduce labor costs.

That said, school food has come a long way over the past decade. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 set new standards for school meals, including mandatory minimums for fruit, vegetable, and whole-grain servings and limits on calories, sodium, and saturated and trans fats. However, it is still possible to meet these federal regulations and serve a meal that is less than ideal. Just as a slice of whole wheat bread or ½ cup of cooked brown rice can be counted as a whole grain equivalent, so too can a package of frozen pancakes or cinnamon rolls with 10+ grams of added sugars, so long as they contain at least 50% whole grains.

Thankfully, more and more dietitians are bringing their knowledge of nutrition to the school food world, but they are still held accountable by school boards and a bottom line, which can often deter meaningful change. So, what are we to do when the odds are stacked so heavily against us? As dietetics professionals, one of the most essential skills we can develop is how to be an effective advocate and to do this we need to lean into the evidence-based foundation of our practice.

Using school food as an example, we know that providing students nutritious school meals can help them not only build lifelong healthy habits but can also improve attendance and academic performance. But how do we effectively communicate this knowledge to school boards and administrators? Try focusing on an area of mutual benefit. As district income is impacted by absenteeism and test scores, dig up some research on school lunches and attendance. Or even how scratch-cooking increases participation rates (thus reimbursement!) and farm-to-school initiatives help stimulate the local economy.

Is every battle going to be a win? No. But we can learn to compromise without compromising our values, and every step we take in the right direction is a win in my book. No matter what role we may take on in our futures as dietetics professionals, the ability to effectively advocate for our patients, our communities, our profession, and ourselves, is paramount. So, my advice to you is: find your own voice and use it to fight for the changes you believe in.