Thinking outside of the lunchbox
We’ve all heard the frightening statistics on the current state of public school lunches. Most school lunch programs use food that is processed, genetically modified, and contains high-starch ingredients. Rarely are organic options available.
However, with child obesity on the rise and pressure to make our school lunch programs healthier, organic school lunches are beginning to gain momentum. First, there are many avenues you can take to help make your child’s school lunch healthier on the home front while working to incorporate organic into your local school district.
School Lunches
Encouraging schools to partner with area farmers and organic community gardens is a great way to introduce organic foods. It can also become a hands-on way for students to learn more about organic farming and gardening practices while gaining an understanding of where their food comes from and what happens to it before arriving on their plates.
There's hope, however - but only if you're willing to actively join the fight. The Organic Consumers Association has launched the Appetite for a Change campaign, which is gathering support to:
- Eliminate junk food from school campuses
- Replace nutritionally bankrupt food choices with more healthful whole foods, vegetarian fare and organic food (no pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, irradiation or genetically engineered ingredients)
- Offer solid nutrition education in classrooms
- Ban pesticides from school grounds
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