UPDATE: December 13, 2012: LAUSD Board of Education unanimously voted Tuesday to adopt the "Improving Food and Nutrition Policy." (see below for full story)
According to Ariana Oliva for California Food Policy Advocates, adoption of this far-reaching policy is yet another demonstration of the Board's commitment to ensuring that every student has access to a nutritious meal and healthy school environment. It guarantees that each student will benefit from the same high-quality program across all schools and includes several changes that students will notice over the coming year
December 9, 2012: Tomorrow LAUSD board member,Steve Zimmer; Venice High Student Body President, Jesús Romo; LA County Public Health Dept. Official, Linda Aragón, and other Los Angeles leaders will host a lunchtime event at Mark Twain Middle School to champion the new Improving Food and Nutrition Policy. The following day, Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education will meet to vote on policy, which was written Zimmer and fellow board member, Monica Garcia.
According to the LAUSD Board of Ed press release, the policy makes several changes, including improving the appeal of meals by developing a nutritious menu driven by students, ensuring meals are scheduled so students will have at least 20 minutes to eat, ensuring nutrition education is integrated into the curriculum, linking what is taught in the classroom to what is served in the cafeteria, and ensuring collaboration with the LA County Dept. of Public Health to increase salad bars and to encourage the use of school garden produce in the cafeteria.
Ariana Oliva of California Food Policy Advocates wrote: LAUSD’s Board of Education was the first in the nation to pass a Healthy Beverage Motion that eliminated the sale of sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages during the school day and last month adopted the Good Food Purchasing Pledge, which strengthens the districts commitment to buying fresh, sustainable foods. Additionally, last year [LAUSD's] Food Service Division launched a new school menu that exposed students to wide variety of healthy foods, including more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Adoption of the Improving Food and Nutrition Policy will further accomplish the [LAUSD] mission to nourish children for academic success.
Written by:Taylor McCulloch
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