School menus get failing grade

Thursday, Aug. 21, 2003 | 9:29 a.m.

Due in part to a lack of vegetarian and vegan menu items, cafeteria fare in Clark County's elementary schools earned a failing grade Wednesday from a medical watchdog group.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine surveyed 18 of the nation's largest school districts. Points were earned for meeting federal standards, providing vegan and vegetarian entrees and including low-fat, fruit and vegetable side dishes.

The nation's sixth-largest school district, Clark County earned 59 out of a possible 100 points, finishing second to last in the survey. The District of Columbia's public schools finished last with a score of 46.

Clark County's drop from a D grade on last year's survey to an F this year was largely because peanut butter, once a vegetarian menu staple, is no longer being served, said Sue Hoggan, spokeswoman for the district's food services department.

The district decided to stop serving peanut butter because of an increase in the number of students reporting allergies, Hoggan said.

But the district doesn't need peanut butter to boost its nutritional score, said Jen Keller, a registered dietitian who coordinated the survey for the committee, a Washington, D.C organization that has pushed for reforms in federal nutritional guidelines and promotes vegetarianism. One alternative would be replacing ground meat with soy crumbles in sloppy joes or using vegetable patties in place of hamburgers, Keller said.

Despite receiving an F, there was some good news for Clark County. Keller said the district deserved praise for its in-school nutrition education programs. One district campaign, "Calcium Isn't Just Milk," reminds students that the important nutritional building block can also be found in other foods such as beans and dark leafy greens.

"I have high hopes for Clark County," Keller said Wednesday. "From my conversations with (food service officials) it's clear they're interested in improving. Next year's report card will probably show a big jump in their grade."

Hoggan said Wednesday adding vegetarian entrees is a priority for the coming school year.

"The problem isn't just finding the product, it's finding a supplier who can do the volume we need," Hoggan said. "At a lot of our older schools we're dealing with outdated facilities and we can't assemble the meals from scratch ourselves."

The district serves about 50,000 students each school day, primarily at the elementary and middle school level.

Individual schools try to accommodate students with special dietary needs, Hoggan said.

When classes start Monday, it will be the second year that the district's metropolitan high schools have been closed during the day, requiring students to eat on campus. The food services department has added outdoor carts selling salads, sandwiches and wraps in order to meet the increased demand, Hoggan said.

"You can put the food in front of them but you can't make the kids eat it," said Tamara Trummel, who does lunchroom duty as an aide at Tarr Elementary School in the district's northwest region.