By Wylie Harris
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
May 24, 2004
Sandra Haverlah's concerns about the Texas Department of Agriculture's new public school nutrition policy are misplaced. (See Wednesday commentary "Biting off more than the state can chew.")
The nutritional policy provides local districts with a legal means to keep the junk food industry's unhealthy wares out of students' diets, but it doesn't limit their power to set menus or address individual needs.
Replacing fryers with ovens will be expensive, true -- but much less so than the current system. Buying new ovens for every school in the state would cost pennies per taxpayer -- against the $682 per adult that Texans pay each year in obesity-related health care costs and productivity losses. Then there's the $100 million that the new policy will steer away from vending machines and toward school cafeterias.
The Texas Agriculture Department's Farm to School program also favors local autonomy, encouraging districts to buy Texas-grown fruits and vegetables for cafeteria meals. In 2002-2003, 112 districts participated, with more than a million students enjoying the wholesome and tasty result.
It's hard to see how anyone concerned with healthful meals for kids could find fault with the state's new nutrition guidelines. Both the and the Farm to School program are big steps in the right direction toward feeding the next generation of Texans, and they deserve enthusiastic support.
Wylie Harris, Saint Jo