Health Researchers Slam A La Carte Menus in School FS

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Schools that balance their foodservice budgets by serving more a la carte menu items are short-changing their students nutritionally, according to new research that has already prompted calls for increased federal funding for school meal programs.

A new study of the dietary habits of seventh graders finds that students in schools that serve a la carte items such as pizza along with standard school meals eat less fruit and vegetables, and consume measurably more fat.

In contrast, middle schoolers without a la carte options eat nearly an entire daily serving of fruits and vegetables, and do not exceed USDA's recommendations for total daily fat consumption.

What's 'good': The study, published in the July 2003 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, concludes that some a la carte menu items, such as "snacks containing less than five grams of fat per serving, 100% fruit juice, bottled water and 1% skim milk," should be promoted by schools because of their nutritional contribution.

However, the researchers find that only a small percentage of the a la carte items sold in the cafeterias studied meet those criteria. Some 84% of the a la carte items offered and 93% of the a la carte foods sold are either sweetened drinks or snacks containing more than five grams of fat per serving.

The new research underscores earlier concerns raised by U.S. General Accounting Office investigators who concluded that increasing reliance on a la carte foods by schools "could undermine the goal" of the National School Lunch Program's nutritional standards.

Rate too low: In the latest study, the researchers attribute the rise in a la carte foods to financial pressure on schools which find it difficult to produce a meal meeting the USDA's standards for the current $2.14 reimbursement rate for a free lunch.

The American School Food Service Association agrees and is citing the nutritional questions raised about a la carte foods as further reason for increasing reimbursement.