Newsday takes an in-depth look at lunches provided at Long Island schools.

Long Island

Education

ny-schoollunchpack

New York Sen. <a href="/topics/Kirsten_Gillibrand">Kirsten Gillibrand</a> is proposing to increase funding for free and reduced school meals, to raise income eligibility levels so more kids qualify and to require cafeterias to serve healthier fare, as Congress takes up debate over reauthorizing the Child Nutrition Act.
In a conference call Tuesday, Gillibrand said she aims to boost the federal reimbursement districts receive to serve free and reduced lunches by 70 cents.
The reimbursement would rise from $2.57 to $3.27 per meal to help schools afford healthier food. In New York, the state adds 6 cents.
Calling the program a "lifeline for families across New York," she said she hopes the proposals are in place by next school year.
"Too many children who should be receiving free, healthy meals are not enrolled in programs available to them, and they're paying the price in their grades, health and future," said Gillibrand, a member of the Agriculture Committee.
William Kidd, assistant business administrator for the Middle Country school district, said an increase could help offset costs in the "more expensive process of preparing healthier foods, including increased labor from 'scratch' cooking, and costs for equipment that can effectively cook and produce healthier options."
A recent national survey found the average cost to prepare and serve a school lunch that meets federal nutritional standards is $2.92.
Gillibrand said she plans to streamline the enrollment process for families, promote school breakfast services, and eliminate junk food and trans fats from schools.
Nearly 3 million children across New York are enrolled in the National School Lunch program, with nearly 450,000 on Long Island.
An analysis of 29 school districts responding to a Newsday survey found nearly 16 percent more children are in such programs this year than four years ago. The trend has been most pronounced in middle- and upper-middle-class districts over the past two years.
Gillibrand is proposing targeted assistance for residents in high-cost-of-living areas. Currently, children at schools across the nation must meet the same eligibility standard - those living at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty line, or $28,665 for a family of four.
For high-cost areas, including Nassau and Suffolk counties, the legislation would expand free meals to all children living under 185 percent of the federal poverty line, or $40,792 for a family of four.
"There are a lot more families out there who could use the assistance than we have on our roster," said Anne Marie Caliendo, assistant superintendent for business in the <a href="/topics/William_Floyd">William Floyd</a> district, where nearly 4,000 students are enrolled in free and reduced programs.
Gillibrand said she supports legislation to make it easier to enroll children in the program.
Suffolk's Department of Social Services launched a program recently with local school districts to increase participation in free and reduced meal programs. County Executive <a href="/topics/Steve_Levy">Steve Levy</a> said 672 additional students in 19 districts have been enrolled.
"A hungry child is an unproductive child," Levy said.
Gillibrand also supports new legislation that would set nutrition standards for all food served on school grounds.
She already has introduced legislation to ban trans fats in public schools that receive federal reimbursements and plans to attach that proposal to the Child Nutrition Act.

Nassau

LILUNC18

Gillibrand proposals eye school lunches

School lunch

On a recent fall day, the <a href="/topics/Centereach%2C_NY">Centereach</a> High School cafeteria served lunch to 951 students. 
For 232 of them, it was a free lunch. 
They qualified for free meals from the Middle Country School District, thanks to the federal program that helps feed public school children during the school day. In the past two years, over 44 percent more students in this middle-class district in central <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> County have enrolled in the program. 
"The tight times in the economy are putting more of our families in a difficult financial situation, where they are looking for assistance," said William Kidd, assistant business administrator for the district. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/school-lunches-on-long-island-1.1252120">&gt;&gt;COMPLETE COVERAGE: School lunches on </a><a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> 
&nbsp; 
A familiar story 
It's a similar story across <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a>. An analysis of 29 school districts responding to a Newsday survey found the number of students in free and reduced-price meal programs has increased even as enrollments have dropped. Overall, nearly 16 percent more children are in such programs this year than four years ago. 
The trend has been most pronounced in middle and upper-middle class districts over the past two years, as the <a href="/topics/Economic_Recession">recession</a> hammered the local economy, causing job losses or reduced income. 
Since the 2007-08 school year, students qualifying for free or reduced meals in the Three Village district rose nearly 39 percent, in <a href="/topics/Plainview%2C_NY">Plainview</a>-Old-<a href="/topics/Bethpage_State_Park%2C_NY">Bethpage</a>, 51 percent, and 55 and 61 percent in <a href="/topics/West_Islip%2C_NY">West Islip</a> and <a href="/topics/Commack%2C_NY">Commack</a>, respectively - although this population still represents a smaller fraction of overall enrollment. 
"Pupils may be provided free or reduced-price breakfasts and lunches on a continuing, intermittent or emergency basis when family circumstances require it. I believe that today's economic situation directly correlates to the increase in our district's numbers," Three Village interim Superintendent Donald F. Webster said in a written statement. 
Social agencies and school officials point to the bleak economy and also a greater outreach among school districts as reasons for the jump in numbers. 
"Middle-class children in middle-class neighborhoods are having problems with food security," said Paule T. Pachter, executive director of <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> Cares Inc.-The <a href="/topics/Harry_Chapin">Harry Chapin</a> Food Bank. Her organization operates an after-school program that serves meals and snacks in several schools. 
The 29 districts surveyed by Newsday have 31,102 students enrolled in free/reduced-price meal programs out of a total enrollment of 152,523. 
Some school districts provide free lunches, others a combination of free and reduced. Some offer breakfast free or at a reduced price as well. A standard lunch costs $1.50 at the elementary level in the <a href="/topics/Mineola%2C_NY">Mineola</a> district, for example, and $1.75 at the high school, while reduced-price meals are 25 cents, the average price on Long Island. 
Parents must apply to the National School Lunch Program and qualify according to income guidelines. 
Students who receive free meals choose from the same menu as those who pay. Districts work hard to try to ensure children in the program are not publicly identified. In Middle Country, students enter an identification number at the cafeteria cashier; no one can tell who is receiving a free meal or who is on a prepaid plan, said Debbie Corrado, food service director for Whitson's Culinary Group, which manages the district's food service. 
The bulk of the cost of free and reduced programs is covered by the federal government, not local school budgets. The number of students in the program factors into how much state aid a district receives. 
Kidd said Middle Country wants to accommodate every child in need and has sent home reminders about the program and put notes on the lunch calendar. Two years ago, the district set up a phone help line to assist parents with enrolling in the program, which offers only free meals. 
&nbsp; 
Playing with perceptions? 
But some districts have been more reluctant, said Gwen O'Shea, president and chief executive of the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island. "There is a perception of perhaps we don't want other folks to think we have needs in our community." 
But that mood is changing because of the sluggish economy, she said. "With the economic downturn and number of folks directly impacted, there is a greater level of sympathy for folks who are struggling." 
Anne, a mother of three in <a href="/topics/Westbury%2C_NY">Westbury</a> who asked that her last name not be divulged, said she enrolled her children in the free and reduced lunch program about a year ago. She lost her job as a bus driver and has not found other work. 
"If they didn't have food in school, they wouldn't be able to do what they do," she said. "They would be hungry." 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/school-lunches-on-long-island-1.1252120">&gt;&gt;COMPLETE COVERAGE: School lunches on Long Island</a>

LIFOOD26

Number of kids getting free lunch spikes on LI

school lunch

The small <a href="/topics/Springs%2C_NY">Springs</a> School on the South Fork does not have its own kitchen or cafeteria. Students bring their lunches from home.
But in the past year or so, the school's staff noticed that some children were coming to class empty-handed and hungry.
An anonymous donor pledged $100,000 to the <a href="/topics/East_Hampton%2C_NY">East Hampton</a> district to start a breakfast program and community members volunteered to help out.
Superintendent Michael Hartner is also trying to start a school food program to provide free and reduced-price meals in the 659-student kindergarten-8th grade district.
"What we are trying to do is partner with another district, whereby we become just like we are a school in their district," Hartner said.
The district has surveyed parents and is calculating how many students would qualify for subsidized meals. The figure will be sent to the state Department of Education for approval.
In the meantime, some parents in the Springs district have stepped in to help out.
Joe Realmuto, executive chef at the East Hampton restaurant Nick and Toni's, makes sandwiches and delivers them to Springs. He said he receives food donations and puts the sandwiches together in the same kitchen that serves the rich and famous. He has two children of his own in the school.
The lunches are nutritionally sound and "a lot of things we buy from local farms; we try to pack some of that into the bag as well," he said.
Bryan Futerman, owner of Foody's restaurant in <a href="/topics/Water_Mill%2C_NY">Water Mill</a>, is a co-founder of Springs Seedlings, which is building a greenhouse to grow food that will be served to students.
Futerman, who has a daughter in the fifth grade, is also advocating for the district to have a meal program.
"We are trying to make sure these children are meeting their daily needs for nutrition," he said, "and I am committed to making sure it is a well-run, healthy program that would serve real food in the schools."

Suffolk

LISPRI26

On East End, parents help as schoolkids face hunger

greenhouse

Newsday examined hundreds of Long Island school lunch menus, budgets and vending machine contracts and spoke to dozens of school food professionals and leaders. The findings: 
NO MONEY. Although they get some federal and state reimbursements, school food programs get virtually no financial support from the local taxes residents pay. 
FATTY FOODS. Long Island's public schools serve more pizza, processed chicken nuggets and burgers than any other hot meal. 
LOADS OF SNACKS. Sales of snacks such as chips and cookies produced between 8 percent and 58 percent of total revenue in the 42 districts that provided complete financial information. 
FREE LUNCHES HELP. In low-income districts, kids tend to eat better because more of them get the standard meal and buy fewer snacks. 
OUTDATED RULES. 
Federal standards governing the national school lunch program have not been upgraded since the mid-'90s, and rules governing cafeteria snack sales have remained largely unchanged for nearly 30 years. 
THE SERIES 
Saturday: Money - the major hurdle in improving school food. 
Sunday: A look at vending contracts. 
Monday: Expert advice on how to make school food better. 
Reporter: Jennifer Sinco Kelleher 
Story editor: Michael Dobie 
Designer: Jessica Randklev 
Photo editor: Oswaldo Jimenez 
Copy editor: Leema Thomas 
Research assistance: Michael R. Ebert

News

ny-lifind265897618oct26

Key findings on Long Island school lunch menus

LEAN BUDGETS: Money is often an obstacle to making school food better. While they get small federal and state reimbursements for every meal they serve, cafeteria programs get virtually no financial support from the local taxes residents pay. 
FATTY FOODS. Long Island's public schools serve more pizza, processed chicken nuggets and burgers than any other hot meal. 
LOADS OF SNACKS. Sales of snacks such as chips and cookies produced between 8 percent and 58 percent of total revenue in the 42 districts that provided complete financial information. 
VENDING WELCOME: Vending machine contracts usually bring school districts commissions that are spent on sports and scholarship programs. 
DEALS/MEALS: Deals for exclusive rights to serve Coca-Cola or Pepsi products can undermine efforts to serve healthier cafeteria meals, experts and food service directors say. 
CASHING IN: The South Huntington cafeteria program is one of the few on Long Island that owns and operates its own vending machines, which brought in more than $140,000 in revenue last year -- nearly 7 percent of the program's total revenue.

ny-lifind1027

What we found out

A show of hands, please: Who is already bored/beset/out of ideas when it comes to filling your children's trendy, reusable totes? We thought as much. So we asked some pros to help come up with options. These recipes will be good for brown-bagging grown-ups, too. 
Feel free to mix and match these quick and easy suggestions. 
PLANTAIN WRAPS WITH TANGY BLACK BEAN SPREAD 
From Jennifer McCann, author of "Vegan Lunch Box" (Da Capo Lifelong, 2009). 
Fried plantains make a wonderful sandwich or wrap filling when combined with zesty bean spread and spicy salsa. The bean spread also can be used as a dip for baby-cut carrots and tortilla chips. 
MAKE AHEAD 
The black bean spread and plantains can be made and refrigerated a day in advance; the wraps are best assembled the day they will be eaten. You'll have some black bean spread left over after making these wraps. 
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained 
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 
1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup 
2 teaspoons wheat-free tamari 
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste 
Salt 
2 ripe plantains (look for dark yellow skins with black patches) 
2 tablespoons canola oil 
Freshly ground black pepper 
4 (10-inch) gluten-free wraps or tortillas 
Homemade or store-bought salsa, for serving 
1. To make the bean spread, combine the beans, lemon juice, ketchup, tamari, cumin and cayenne pepper in the bowl of a food processor; puree until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides, as needed. Taste and season with salt; adjust the cayenne. (At this point, the spread can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 1 day.) 
2. Use a sharp knife to peel the plantains. Cut them crosswise in half, then cut each of the halves lengthwise into quarters (yielding 16 pieces total). 
3. Line a plate with several layers of paper towels. 
4. Heat the oil in a large, nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the plantains, cut-sides down, in a single layer; cook for 5 minutes, until the plantains are reddish brown, then turn the pieces over and cook another 5 minutes. Transfer to the paper-towel-lined plate to drain, then season lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. (At this point, the plantains can be cooled, wrapped and refrigerated for 1 day.) 
5. To assemble, heat a dry skillet over medium low. Heat the wraps, one at a time, just enough to make them pliable. 
6. Slather each wrap with black bean spread, then arrange 4 of the cooked plantain wedges on top. Roll up like a burrito, tucking the ends in as you go. Serve with salsa for dipping. Makes 4 servings. 
Nutritional analysis for each serving 397 calories, 9 g protein, 71 g carbohydrates, 8 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 579 mg sodium, 8 g dietary fiber, 16 g sugar 
APPLE CRISPS 
Adapted from "Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry," by Lisa Barnes (Perigee, 2009). 
2 tablespoons sugar 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 
2 large organic apples, such as Fuji or Braeburn 
1. Position oven racks on the middle and lower rungs; preheat to 200 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 
2. Combine the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl. 
3. Use a mandoline or a knife to cut the apples vertically into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. You do not need to core or peel the apples. The seeds will fall out or can easily be removed from the apple slices after cutting. 
4. Arrange the apple slices on the prepared baking sheets in a single layer; sprinkle with the sugar-spices mixture. Bake 1 1/2 hours, then rotate the sheets top to bottom and front to back. Bake 1 hour, then turn off the oven. If the apple slices are not dry and crisp, leave in the (closed) oven overnight. 
5. Use a spatula to loosen the crisps from the parchment paper; store in an airtight container. Makes about 48 apple crisps, or 4 servings. 
 Nutritional analysis for each serving 82 calories, 0 g protein, 21 g carbohydrates, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 17 g sugar 
CHICKEN MEAT LOAF 
Adapted from Bob Sloan, author of "Dad's Awesome Grilling Cookbook" (Chronicle, 2009). 
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for greasing pan 
1 large onion, finely chopped (1 1/2 cups) 
1 medium (8 ounces) sweet potato (preferably organic), peeled and cut into 1/8-inch dice 
3 tablespoons ketchup 
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 
1 slice whole-wheat bread, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 
1/4 cup low-fat milk, preferably 1 percent 
1 large egg, lightly beaten 
1 pound free-range organic ground chicken (may substitute ground turkey) 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Use a little oil to lightly grease the inside of an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan. 
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sweet potato; cook about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened. Add the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce; mix well, then transfer the mixture to a large bowl and let cool. 
3. Combine the bread and milk in a small bowl; let it sit for 5 minutes, then add the egg and mix well. Add the mixture to the large bowl, along with the ground chicken and salt. Use your hands to combine; the mixture will be moist. 
4. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the center registers 170 degrees. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving or slicing. Makes 6 servings. 
Nutritional analysis for each serving 195 calories, 21 g protein, 17 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 80 mg cholesterol, 411 mg sodium, 2 g dietary fiber, 6 g sugar 
&nbsp; 
BROCCOLI-PESTO PASTA 
Adapted from Mollie Katzen's "Get Cooking" (HarperStudio, 2009). 
1/4 cup olive oil 
3/4 cup store-bought fresh pesto, at room temperature 
1 tablespoon salt (for the pasta water), plus more to taste (optional) 
12 ounces dried pennette or penne pasta 
1 large (1 1/2 pounds) head broccoli, tough stem ends discarded and the rest cut on the diagonal into 2-inch pieces 
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 
Freshly ground black pepper 
1. Pour the oil into a large mixing bowl. Add the pesto and whisk until uniformly blended. 
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat; add the tablespoon of salt. Add the pennette or penne and cook according to package directions. When the pasta has about a minute or so left to cook, add the broccoli to the pot. It will cook quickly, will turn bright green and should be crisp-tender. Reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and broccoli in a large colander. 
3. Shake to mostly drain (it's OK to leave some water clinging), then add to the pesto mixture in the bowl. 
4. Mix well to coat the pasta and broccoli evenly, adding the Parmesan at the same time until it is well incorporated. Add some of the reserved cooking water as needed; taste and add salt to taste, if desired, along with about 6 grinds of black pepper. 
Serve hot or transfer to a container, cool to room temperature, cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to pack it off to school. Makes 3 to 4 servings. 
Nutritional analysis for each serving, based on 4 servings 743 calories, 24 g protein, 75 g carbohydrates, 39 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 22 mg cholesterol, 579 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 6 g sugar

FDCOVWEB22

Great brown bag recipes for kids and adults

fdLUNCH

Former President <a href="/topics/Bill_Clinton">Bill Clinton</a>'s Alliance for a Healthier Generation, whose mission is to eliminate childhood obesity and inspire healthy habits, will honor representatives from all seven schools of West Babylon in <a href="/topics/Manhattan">Manhattan</a> today. 
Lunch director for the West Babylon school district Adrianne Goldenbaum said the district had been selected for funding from the Alliance that goes toward changes in the district's food and physical education program "because of the district's commitment" to healthier living.
West Babylon schools prove that positive change is possible in the battle against childhood obesity, school officials said. Documents show improvements in their students' body mass index, or BMI, which measures body fat, said Dominick Palma, West Babylon's assistant superintendent for curriculum and student services. Palma will receive the National Healthy Schools Champion award for his efforts since 2005.
"Our employees really grasped the idea that if we want the kids to be healthier, we need to model it ourselves," Palma said.
The district eliminated all fried foods, substitutes 1 percent and skim milk for whole milk, uses whole-wheat products, and offers water and 100 percent fruit juices instead of high-sugar beverages.
"We've changed a slice of pizza high in fat and sodium to 'smart pizza' with low-fat cheese and whole-wheat crust," Goldenbaum said. "The kids don't know the difference."
Besides changes in the food selection, the district offers physical activities such as dance classes, yoga and a state-of-the-art fitness center. 
Palma said high school students also trained to be "wellness ambassadors" will organize activities and speak to other students in the district.

LIBABY05

West Babylon schools fight childhood obesity

Health inspections of Suffolk's public school cafeterias in recent months found violations ranging from egg salad not being kept cold enough to mouse feces on spice containers, according to county records. 
Yet countless other violations might remain undetected because Department of Health Services inspections of 72 percent of public schools in Suffolk are overdue, some by as long as four years, the county legislature's presiding officer said yesterday. 
William Lindsay (D-Holbrook) directed his staff to look into cafeteria inspections after hearing that health department officials were understaffed, and he decided to announce findings after reading Newsday's series on school food. "I think this should be a top priority," he said. "The kids are more prone to food-borne diseases." 
Lindsay is to announce today funding for six new health inspectors, or "sanitarians," in the legislature's budget proposal, which would bring the total to 22. 
"It's disturbing," he said. "They're supposed to be inspected every six months ... I think the obvious problem is we don't have enough people." 
Using the county health department's Web site, Lindsay's staff found 249 out of 347 public schools are past due on inspections. 
Health department public health protection bureau chief Christopher Sortino said some uninspected locations may be smaller schools where food prepared at another campus is delivered to the cafeteria. "Not being able to get to every district, we do try to get to the main kitchen in that district," he said, citing understaffing. 
Nassau's health department also inspects school cafeterias unannounced. Unlike Suffolk, Nassau's records are not kept online and were not available yesterday. 
Lindsay said recent violations highlight the need to maintain regular surprise inspections. During a June 6 inspection of the cafeteria at Smithtown High School West, mouse feces were found on containers of paprika, pepper, garlic and sugar, records show. Muffins, boxes of cocoa and cornstarch, a bag of potato chips and two tea bags were gnawed. Smithtown administrators could not be reached yesterday. 
An inspection last month at Bellport High School found that deli ham, sliced tomatoes, and chicken, egg and tuna salads were not kept cold enough on the serving line, records show. 
Raymond Walsh, the district's interim superintendent, said new equipment is being purchased to deal with that violation and others. However, the money - between $500,000 and $600,000 - will come from the food service's fund balance at a time when school food directors say they struggle financially to serve healthier food. 
Walsh said replacing antiquated equipment will improve meal quality. "It will have a positive impact on how the food is prepared and presented to our students," he said. 
Maureen Dutcher, assistant superintendent for business of Bay Shore schools, said the district is working out costly construction plans to resolve a May 2 violation at South Country Elementary, where food was found too close to a contamination source. 
Dutcher said the problem stemmed from roof drains running through the ceiling over a freezer and a pantry. Health officials have not directed cafeteria workers to stop putting food there, she said. 
There have been regular inspections in the district, Dutcher noted, sometimes more than every six months. "She stops in periodically without notice," Dutcher said of the inspector.

ny-lifood305903949oct30

Inspectors find violations in Suffolk school cafeterias

Typical lunchtime fare includes quinoa, bean cakes, Swiss chard, fresh beets, tofu, tempeh, kimchee. 
There are no sloppy joes. Hamburgers are served only three times a year during field days, and the beef is organic. 
Private schools such as the Ross School in East Hampton don't operate under the same cost constraints public schools face when attempting to serve healthy food, allowing them more freedom to go beyond traditional school cafeteria meals. 
Ross' food often is held up as a model for student dining. 
A staff of 17 line chefs with impressive culinary backgrounds cook from scratch in a kitchen that rivals a five-star restaurant. And students actually like the healthy offerings, evidenced by the fact that they go through about 25 pounds of tofu per day. 
Moss Turpan never had tried tofu, tempeh or polenta until he arrived at Ross. "It's pretty awesome," said Turpan, a sophomore when interviewed last school year. "It's crazy to have food this good at school." 
Johanna Saldana, a junior, likes that she eats seasonal food at Ross. "The roasted carrots are yummy," she said. "I love the food here, compared to what I hear public schools get. I feel very fortunate to get this kind of food here." 
When students want a snack, they can help themselves to baskets of fruit placed throughout the campus. 
But achieving the ultimate ideal cafeteria comes with a price. Meals are included with the standard $24,800 annual high school tuition. Hailey London, a registered dietitian who was the school's wellness coordinator last year, estimated that breakfast, lunch and a snack costs about $5 per student each day, with about $9 more for labor expenses. She said the cost varies because students are allowed unlimited servings of vegetables. 
Ross' first chef, Ann Cooper, who started in 2000, is well-known for transforming cafeterias. Known as the "Renegade Lunch Lady" and the author of the 2006 book "Lunch Lessons," which chronicles a lot of her time at Ross, Cooper is now in charge of food service for the public school system in Berkeley, Calif. Students there pay $3 for lunch, she said. That price is well above the Long Island public school average of $1.66. 
"Public schools can do some of the food the Ross School does," she said. "You gotta charge more." 
The dining room ambience is a stark contrast to the typical public school cafeteria setting. Gone are the long folding tables and disposable trays and utensils. Instead, students eat off ceramic plates and bowls using real silverware. They sit at circular tables overlooking a wide expanse of trees. There's no separate teacher's lunchroom; students and adults eat together. 
Organic milk comes from a Westchester dairy. Organic apple cider is from a local farm. Ninety percent of Ross' produce is grown on an East End or New York State farm. 
"It's very expensive to buy organic," said Lisa Smith, manager of operations for Ross' kitchen. "It's all labor. There's so much labor in the meals." 
Regan Kiembock, school lunch manager of the Southampton school district, wanted to follow Ross' model. She said she called the school asking about its vendors, but found she simply couldn't afford the organic products. 
"I hated to be compared to the Ross School," she said. 
Another school on a more even playing field with Ross is the private Waldorf School of Garden City, where students pay between $4 and $5 for lunch. 
Chef Aviva Gill said she spent $400 to $1,000 per week last year shopping at local stores such as Trader Joe's and local farm cooperatives, opting for organic meats and wild fish. 
Gill prepares about 160 meals daily, with scratch-made soup that is delivered to classrooms from prekindergarten through third grade. 
About 10 years ago, a group of parents banded together, demanding revamped food. "They wanted more organic, healthy, no dye, nothing artificial," Gill said. 
On one afternoon last school year, lunch was a choice between nachos or tacos with organic ground turkey, black beans, brown rice and fresh guacamole, chunky with avocado, tomato and cilantro. 
Eighth-grader Michela Bentel enjoyed a hearty plate of nachos. "I don't usually bring my own lunch," she said. "My parents usually make me eat organic food most of the time." 
The snack line features items such as Stonyfield Farms organic yogurt and Oskri vegan bars with coconut and almonds. 
Some of the produce is ultra-local. Gill's cooking incorporates herbs and vegetables students grow in the school's garden - part of the curriculum for students in grades 6-8. 
On an autumn afternoon last year, a group of eighth-graders knelt in the dirt harvesting beets, Swiss chard and collard greens. Another group shoveled dirt for composting while some students pulled weeds. 
"I feel that instead of ordering it from a food company in, say, Oklahoma, we're eating something we created with our own hands," said Spencer Diamond of New Hyde Park. 
Before the gardening session, teacher Jeannine Davis held class in a shed that stores wheelbarrows, hoses, spades, shovels and bug spray. She led the students in journal writing, explained how certain plants can be used and reviewed mishaps - like the time they had to replant carrots because they didn't dig deep enough the first time. 
A chalkboard listed what needed to be done that day: "Pull Jerusalem artichoke that have flowered. Harvest beets, Swiss chard, collard greens. Wash, tie in bunches, bring to cafeteria." 
Herbs were drying on a rack. Gill uses thyme from the garden to make tea for teachers in the winter. 
Student horticulture is not limited to the gardening class. Third-graders grow rye, harvest it with a sieve and dry it. They then thresh the rye with wood blocks and take seeds out of the hull. They grind the seeds into flour and use that to make rye bread. 
Davis said she'd like more children to experience farming. 
"It's my dream to have the children grow their own food and see where it comes from. So many students don't see that," she said. "They don't see the vegetable in the ground and how it looks covered in soil and how you have to clean all the crevices. It just connects them in that way." 
Toward the end of the hour-and-a-half class, the students hosed down the vegetables and laid them neatly in a basket. They carried the basket to the kitchen where Gill thanked them and said, "You'll see this in the cafeteria tomorrow." 
 Sample menu offerings at the WALDORF SCHOOL: 
 Entrees: 
 Tacos with ground turkey, black beans, salsa and guacamole made from scratch, sauteed onions and peppers, sour cream and Cheddar cheese 
 Spinach pie 
 Salmon, organic brown rice 
 Shepherd's pie made with ground turkey 
 Pasta with broccoli and garlic 
 Roasted chicken and potatoes 
 Chinese noodles or dumplings, Chinese vegetables 
 Salad bar changes daily but includes homemade dressings and some combination of the following items: 
Mesclun greens 
 Spinach 
 Carrots, celery, peppers, cabbage, beets 
 Seasonal veggies from the student garden 
 Egg salad 
 Tuna salad 
 Roasted squash 
 Moroccan salad 
 Baked eggplant 
 Organic sauerkraut 
 Sunflower seeds 
 Flax seeds 
 Soups change daily and include: 
Tomato quinoa 
 Chickpea 
 Mexican bean 
 Chicken noodle (whole wheat or rice noodles) 
 Corn chowder (nondairy) 
 Sample menu offerings at the ROSS SCHOOL: 
 Entrees: 
Oven-fried catfish 
 Hong Kong noodle stir-fry with veggies and tofu 
 Mussels with rice noodles and Thai coconut sauce 
 Roast chicken with tomato and lemon vinaigrette 
 Rice noodle stir-fry with veggies 
 Tofu with Hoisin sauce 
 Tofu with BBQ sauce 
 Tofu with sweet and spicy sauce 
 Tofu with Asian onion sauce 
 Pasta with chicken cacciatore sauce 
 Side dishes: 
 Roasted asparagus 
 Sauteed greens 
 Roasted cauliflower 
 Millet 
 Sauteed Swiss chard 
 Steamed corn 
 Couscous 
 Roasted carrots 
 Steamed broccoli 
 Salads: 
 Arugula, Parmesan and pine-nut salad with Balsamic vinaigrette 
 Greek salad 
 Sliced ham and cheese 
 Caesar salad 
 Soups: 
 Indian-spiced dahl soup 
 Asparagus soup

ny-lfross2611273518nov02a

Healthier meals served at pricier LI private schools

South Huntington's food service director figured out a way to put vending profits back into the cafeteria while allowing the district to benefit, too. 
The beverage vending contract is between the district and the food service program. 
That has been the case for about 20 years, since food service director Charlie McTiernan realized vending machines could be a good source of revenue and that he could control the products sold. 
Last year, the 27 machines generated $143,190.63 in revenue, according to records. That was nearly 7 percent of the total revenue collected by the food service program. 
The food service program owns and operates the machines. 
McTiernan purchases the products, stocks the machines and collects the profits, giving the district a 15 percent to 30 percent commission. 
The contract also states that the district will get $100,000 in "sponsorship fees" over the course of the 10-year deal and $10,000 in scholarships. 
South Huntington's machines sell Poland Spring water, Snapple, Gatorade and Pepsi-produced noncarbonated flavored waters throughout the district - and soda and other noncarbonated beverages in teacher's lounges, McTiernan said.

ny-lishun2712103544oct27

S. Huntington puts vending profits into cafeteria

<a href="/topics/Long_Island">Long Island</a> schools are getting sports scoreboards, computer software and tens of thousands of dollars in exchange for exclusive rights to sell Pepsi and Coca-Cola products in vending machines and at sporting events. 
While the money is used for things like scholarships and extracurriculars, some experts warn the enticements undermine efforts to serve healthier cafeteria meals. 
"Schools should not be profiting on beverages that are detrimental to children's health," said Lilian Cheung, a registered dietitian at the Harvard School of Public Health. "Schools need to set an example." 
The machines typically sell beverages such as sports drinks, water and juices. Some sell soda, which under state policy can't be sold until after school hours. 
In most cases, the districts get a percentage of the sales revenue as a commission. 
A <a href="/topics/Newsday">Newsday</a> review of contracts and other vending financial information for about 40 districts found:
 The Westbury school district is receiving $140,000 over seven years from Coca-Cola. Pepsi agreed to give seven scoreboards to Bethpage. Lynbrook, Islip and Rockville Centre are among those receiving money -- as much as $21,000 -- for scholarships. None of the Pepsi and Coke contracts examined gave any of the commissions to the school food program. 
Seaford Superintendent Thomas Markle said vending in schools has traditionally been a way to fund extracurricular activities. When asked whether vending profits should benefit school food programs, he said, "I'm not sure I would have tied those two directly. I see them as serving different purposes and therefore different focuses." 
 Study: Deals not lucrative 
In one of the nation's largest school beverage vending deals, the 1.1-million-student <a href="/topics/New_York">New York</a> City school system earned $3.7 million in profit in the 2008 fiscal year from Snapple, a Board of Education spokeswoman said. The money was used to fund middle and high school athletics. 
Usually, the districts -- and the money -- involved are much smaller in scale. 
In December 2006, the Center for Science in the Public Interest conducted a study of beverage vending contracts with districts in 16 states, not including New York, and concluded that the arrangements are desirable but not that lucrative for schools. 
"While this amount is typically a small fraction of a school's overall budget, it is valued highly by many school principals and administrators since it is a flexible source of revenue available for meeting program needs at their discretion," the report stated. 
From July 2007 to December 2007, for example, Rockville Centre received about $2,900 in commission from sales of Pepsi products. For the 2007-08 school year, Westbury received about $2,200 in commission for Coke products. From May 2007 to December 2007, Hauppauge received about $4,800 in commission from Pepsi. 
That is the model for "exclusive pouring rights" in school vending contracts nationwide. 
Beverage companies say they are making strides toward stocking school vending machines with healthier items. 
"We're providing more lower-calorie, smaller-portion beverages," said Tracey Halliday, spokeswoman for the American Beverage Association, which represents Coca-Cola and Pepsi, among other beverage companies. "We believe all our beverages can play a role in a healthy diet." 
 A healthy pledge 
In May 2006, <a href="/topics/Cadbury_Schweppes">Cadbury Schweppes</a>, Coca-Cola and Pepsi -- the three largest soft drink companies -- announced a collaboration with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, pledging to remove full-calorie sodas from all schools by the 2009-10 school year and to implement guidelines, including selling only 100 percent juice with no added sweeteners in elementary and middle schools. 
However, the guidelines are voluntary and allow for some low-nutrition drinks including sports drinks, said Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. 
Besides beverages, some school districts offer vending with snacks such as chips and ice cream. Those contracts are often with smaller companies, but nutritionists say they send an equally bad message. 
Districts can control student access to vending machines. Bethpage Superintendent Richard Marsh said district machines are on timers, set to go on after school. 
Marsh also said soda is being removed in favor of fruit juices and water. "We've replaced the beverages that were high in sugar and products that were not favorable to healthy diets," he said. 
Kramer Lane School has an allergy-free machine, Marsh said, with products that are free of gluten, dairy and nuts. 
Though vending machines have been in schools for years, their presence expanded greatly over the past two decades. 
From 1991 to 2005, the percentage of middle schools with vending machines went from 42 percent to 82 percent, according to a federal government study cited by Wootan. The increase in high schools over the same period was 76 percent to 97 percent. 
 Marketing strategy Some school vending contracts include incentives in exchange for marketing provisions. Bethpage's 13-year contract with Meadowbrook Distributing Corp. in Amityville, which sells Pepsi products, grants exclusive rights for the brand to be the "official soft drink" of the district, provides a football field concession stand and places seven machines throughout the high school. Meadowbrook reserves the right to "place full trademark panels" on all sides of the machines. 
Wootan said school officials should be concerned about marketing provisions that flood students with soda brands that create "lifelong loyalty." 
Halliday said vending panels with logos are starting to be replaced with depictions promoting physical activity. 
Alan Van Cott, who retired recently as superintendent of Islip schools, said students face branding in all aspects of their lives. 
"A student walks into school with a lacrosse stick on his shoulder that has a logo on it," he said. "There's sneakers with a logo on it." 
 'Balancing act' 
Islip's seven-year deal with Coca-Cola that ended last school year required that sports teams that consume sports drinks use "approved cups." It also brought the district $5,000 in "upfront scholarship fees," $7,000 in "marketing support," $14,000 in "student activation support" and $84,000 in "sponsorship support." 
"It's a balancing act between an opportunity for additional revenue for schools," said Van Cott, adding a new contract was under negotiation. 
While Halliday would not comment on contracts, she said the companies are able to provide financial support schools need. "Revenues have helped provide things such as athletics and arts education," she said. 
Westhampton Beach's 10-year contract with Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of New York details an 18 percent commission and monetary rewards: $62,500 for the Booster Club, $5,000 for "support student activities" and $10,000 that "shall be used to support the School District's educational mission in the schools." 
Records show the district received about $3,200 in commission checks last school year. 
The contract also throws in 10 cases of Fruitopia drinks to be distributed to students for free. For every Fruitopia machine placed at each school, the district gets its choice of one of three kinds of educational software valued at $400. And for every POWERade machine, the district gets an "On the Field" kit, valued at $750, and containing items including coolers, squeeze bottles, towels and clipboards. Kathy O'Hara, Westhampton's business official, said the district did not opt for any Fruitopia machines. 
Westbury's seven-year contract with Coca-Cola shows that the district gets a 20 percent commission. In addition to the $140,000, the district also receives $21,000, distributed in installments, for scholarships. 
Wootan said it's better for fees to districts to be paid over the course of the contract because large upfront payments make it harder for districts to get out of agreements if necessary. 
Most contracts with Coca-Cola and Pepsi include a clause that requires the district to pay a fee if the contract is terminated early.

ny-livend27

Vending machines source of revenue for schools

It's a little known paradox on <a href="/topics/Long_Island">Long Island</a>: Students in school districts with more youngsters who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch tend to eat healthier in the cafeteria. 
Government reimbursements to make lunches affordable ease financial stress on poorer districts, which don't have to rely as heavily on snack sales as their wealthier counterparts. Combined with students having less money to spend on snacks, that means more of them eat the standard meal -- the school lunch that meets Department of Agriculture guidelines and is more nutritious than cookies and chips. 
In <a href="/topics/Brentwood">Brentwood</a>, the Island's largest district, 63 percent of the students ate free lunch or paid a reduced rate of only 25 cents last year. 
"I don't think we have as many difficulties as the other districts are facing," said food service director Deborah Credidio. "I feel for them." 
The federal government reimburses districts $2.57 for every free meal served and $2.17 for reduced price meals. An additional minimal state reimbursement brings the total to $2.63 for a free meal. Districts with more than 60 percent free/reduced students get an extra 2 cents per meal from the federal government. 
Full-price meals garner a small government subsidy as well -- about 29 cents in combined federal and state funds. But <a href="/topics/Long_Island">Long Island</a> districts on average charge students paying full price just $1.66, according to a <a href="/topics/Newsday">Newsday</a> survey of last school year's prices. 
As a result, food service directors in those districts where most kids pay full price struggle more to pay labor and food costs. 
"For every meal that I serve that's free, I have that much more money to spend," said Sharon Gardner, in charge of food service for <a href="/topics/Hempstead">Hempstead</a> schools, where 76 percent of students are free or reduced. "The meals support this program. It is cool because you're focusing on the right area instead of selling a chocolate doughnut." 
The impact is not limited to <a href="/topics/Long_Island">Long Island</a>. The Center for Science in the Public Interest studied school food services in Washington, D.C., and nearby Montgomery County in suburban <a href="/topics/Maryland">Maryland</a>. 
"We found that in the D.C. area, the food was better in the schools with a lot of free and reduced, compared to the schools in Montgomery County where there are students who are wealthier, where they're buying more snacks," said Margo Wootan, Center director of nutrition policy. 
More free lunches 
Maximizing government reimbursements for free and reduced lunches is so important that food service directors want all qualifying families to apply. In <a href="/topics/Brentwood">Brentwood</a>, application forms are passed out on school buses and reminders are printed in local papers. In <a href="/topics/Hempstead">Hempstead</a>, if children run more than a $10 tab, school officials call home to see whether they need free or reduced help. The class that returns its applications first gets a pizza party. 
Some districts say tough economic times are driving more parents to apply for free and reduced lunches this year. One recent morning, West Babylon's food service director got three phone calls within about 10 minutes from parents asking about qualifying for free lunch. 
"I don't have an income, I just lost my business," Adrianne Goldenbaum said one father told her. "I'm in debt for $300,000." 
At the beginning of this month, 21 percent of district students qualified to receive free or reduced lunches, already two percentage points higher than the end of October last year, Goldenbaum said. And she expects more applications to come in. 
Families in need increase 
Earlier this month, Kevin Hannon, food service director in <a href="/topics/Long_Beach">Long Beach</a>, said 761 free and reduced applications were in, compared to 707 that time last year -- an increase of more than 7 percent. 
In some districts, such as Wantagh and Rockville Centre, applications have remained steady, district officials said. 
An increase in applications would fit a seven-year trend in which the percentage of Long Island students qualifying for free and reduced lunches has increased every year -- from 18 percent in 2001-02 to 20.5 percent in 2007-08. 
Credidio said the qualifications should be adjusted for Long Island, with its higher cost of living. Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the poverty level, currently $27,560 for a family of four, are eligible for free meals. Those with incomes between 130 percent and 185 percent of the poverty level, $39,220, qualify for reduced-price meals. 
Goldenbaum said some who qualified in the past are now applying for the first time. Some eligible families don't apply simply out of pride, especially in districts with fewer free and reduced students, Wootan said. 
There's concern the school meal is stigmatized as being "for the poor kids," she said. 
Goldenbaum said her district sent letters home urging parents who qualify to apply with an assurance: "We believe that many people do not want to apply for free or reduced lunch because they feel their child might be embarrassed to be identified as a child in need. We want to assure you that the computerized program we have in place maintains each child's anonymity." 
The USDA prohibits schools from overtly identifying which students are free. Many use computerized systems where a number is entered or a card scanned, making the cashier the only one who knows who is paying and who is free. 
That's not an issue in <a href="/topics/Hempstead">Hempstead</a>, Gardner said: "There's no stigma here because everyone is free and reduced. The paying kids are the outcasts."The reimbursement system often allows those districts to serve healthier meals. That's because the reimbursable meal has to meet USDA nutritional standards, while snacks don't. 
Gardner said that while she wants her children to enjoy the food, there's less financial pressure to succumb to their tastes. Gardner said she can be like a mom who tells her kids to eat what they're served. 
"I can make sure they're eating right cause I know they're gonna take it," she said. "I can't tell you every kid is eating their green beans, but a lot of them are."Gardner, who worked for a food management company before joining Hempstead, said students in affluent districts tended to buy snacks more frequently, sometimes in place of a meal: "Those kids have the money and they can buy whatever they want." 
In Elmont, where 45 percent of students received free or reduced lunches last year, student a la carte purchases -- snacks and other food not part of the reimbursable meal -- composed about 8 percent of total revenue in 2006-07. In Bellmore-Merrick, where the free and reduced rate was less than 3 percent, more than 58 percent of total revenue came from student a la carte. 
In Jericho, with a student population that was less than 1 percent free and reduced last year, sales of snacks and a la carte items made up 34 percent of the food service's income. 
"Without the a la carte program, we wouldn't be able to sustain our program," said Tracy Gilet, district director of food services. 
That doesn't mean districts such as <a href="/topics/Brentwood">Brentwood</a> and Hempstead are snack-free. Hempstead elementary schools have no snacks or other "a la carte" items. But that's because the schools lack space for selling snacks, Gardner said. Secondary schools have some snacks, partly to offset expenses and partly to attract high school students, some of whom are allowed off campus for lunch. 
Credidio said she sells snacks to help keep the paid meals at $1. "If somebody has five kids and they have to send them to school with $2.75 a day, it's expensive," she said. 
One afternoon last school year, Brentwood senior Sandy Juarez settled down with a tray of chicken nuggets, wheat bun, soup, tater tots and a tangerine. "I'm certainly grateful to get this for a dollar," she said. 
Fellow senior Joanne Jean-Louis interjected, "I get this for free so I'm even more grateful."

ny-schoollunch-lifree26

Kids in poorer districts tend to eat healthier

The heat is on school food to improve. 
Food service directors say they face obstacles to improving cafeteria meals, from outdated federal nutritional standards to tight funding. 
Suggestions from experts for overcoming those obstacles range from setting higher prices to offering more fresh food and alternatives to high-fat products. 
"School food has to get better," said Amie Hamlin, executive director of the <a href="/topics/New_York">New York</a> Coalition for Healthy School Food. "How can we stand by and accept this?" 
 UNIVERSAL FEEDING 
 A much-discussed idea among school food directors nationwide is to allow all students to eat for free, known as "universal feeding." 
The government should completely subsidize meals, said Carol Beebe, executive director of the New York School Nutrition Association, a group that represents 3,500 food service directors across the state. 
"It eliminates all the competition," she said, and allows food service directors to focus on nutritious meals and "not solely on the basis of having to meet a bottom line." 
Under such a plan, she said, students wouldn't be allowed to bring in food from outside the cafeteria or leave to have lunch elsewhere. 
 Darlene Smith, whose two daughters attend school in the Wantagh district, said she welcomes the idea of all children eating for free. But she'd like to see some exceptions that would allow students to bring lunch from home. 
"I don't know how that would work for the kids with food allergies," she said. "What if they don't want the school lunch?" 
 Frank Harris, who for nearly 40 years was in charge of school food in <a href="/topics/Norwalk">Norwalk</a>, Conn., until his retirement in 2006, said school food should be free, just like textbooks and transportation, because it's an essential part of education. "I have always felt that the feeding of all kids is all our responsibility," he said. 
In Sweden, the government pays for school children to eat for free, said Janet Poppendieck, a Hunter College sociology professor who has been studying school food programs for five years. 
While doing research in Sweden in 2005, she saw students were eating meals such as fish with vegetables and chicken curry with large salads. 
 NEW PROTEIN SOURCES 
 Districts should offer variety and alternatives to meat and cheese, experts say. 
"Look at other protein sources that are not just meat. Look at beans, legumes, soy," said Nancy Copperman, a registered dietitian and the director of public health initiatives for the <a href="/topics/North_Shore">North Shore</a>- <a href="/topics/Long_Island">Long Island</a> Jewish Health System. 
 MORE TIME FOR KIDS TO EAT 
 Some school food directors worry about the amount of time students have to make their way through the line, make appropriate choices and eat their food. In Greenport, elementary students have 30 minutes. At Stimson Middle School in the South Huntington district, students have 22 minutes. In Longwood, students with advanced classes don't have lunch periods. In some districts, some students eat lunch as early as 9 a.m. 
 SCRATCH COOKING 
 Some experts say cafeteria workers should be trained to properly handle raw food, allowing for more cooking from scratch and less reliance on processed products that simply are heated. 
 Julia Van Loon, a Port Washington mother of two who trained at the French Culinary Institute, is among those who would like schools to return to old-fashioned cooking. She recently was hired by the district to help improve its food. 
She's introducing more from-scratch cooking gradually, so as to not overwhelm staff, she said. "There's no danger in working with tomatoes and making sauce," she said. "You can control sodium and use real garlic instead of powder." 
But some cafeteria directors cite daunting challenges, including safety risks and higher labor costs. 
"I don't want to deal with raw meat," said South Huntington food director Charlie McTiernan, who added there is virtually no scratch cooking in his cafeterias. "I have a big enough problem wondering if my produce is infected with E. coli. I try to reduce the liability." 
At <a href="/topics/Jericho2">Jericho</a> High and Middle School, one of the more popular meals is ziti made largely from scratch by Teresa Menduni, who was born in Italy. "I make my own tomato sauce," she said. "I crush tomatoes, I shred the mozzarella. I do it the way my mother taught me."

ny-lifood2812016617oct28

Experts weigh in on changing food

Feta Cheddar salad, tomato bisque soup and soft tortilla shells filled with chopped turkey, mozzarella, garlic, celery and carrots are among the food choices available in Islip schools, dishes made from scratch using surplus ingredients from the Department of Agriculture. 
At a time when school food service directors across Long Island and elsewhere face financial constraints in serving healthy and tasty meals to students, the Islip district has been recognized for finding creative ways to use government commodities available to schools for a minimal warehousing fee. 
The state Office of General Services, which oversees the distribution of USDA commodities to school districts, announced yesterday that Islip and two upstate districts have been awarded $5,000 "best practices" awards. 
The money must go toward funding the school food program, said Tom Osterhout, the office's director of food distribution and warehousing. 
Osterhout noted that 70 percent of high school students in Islip eat school lunch, a rate he called "very, very high." 
 New York's first lady, Michelle Paige Paterson, praised the winning districts. 
"My top priority as first lady is to fight the epidemic of childhood obesity and I applaud the districts who have found creative, proactive ways to bring the highest standards to their lunchrooms," she said. 
Jane Steigerwarld, former director of food services in Islip, applied for the award before she retired from the district last summer. 
She could not be reached yesterday, but during a tour of Islip High School's cafeteria last school year, she attributed the quality of the food to the district's board deciding to increase the price students are charged for a meal. She convinced the board to raise high school prices from $1.60 to $2 last year. 
This year, the price went up again, to $2.50. The average price of lunch in Long Island schools last year was $1.66. 
Steigerwarld and others have said raising prices is crucial to improving the quality of school food. 
"We're talking pennies we have to work with," she said of the financial constraints on school food programs, which are expected to break even without help from their districts' budgets. "Pennies." 
Improving the meals was also the result of the skills of head cook Arlene Leggio, Steigerwarld said. 
Last school year, Leggio rushed between the serving area, showing off salads served in edible tortilla bowls, to the dining area, where she prodded wrestlers to make sure they were eating well despite trying to maintain a certain weight to compete. 
Leggio said she loves to cook, using seasonal items such as squash in the wintertime. 
"She multitasks unbelievably," Steigerwarld said. "It takes creativity. You have to want to improve and make it better. You have to do it with pride."

ny-lifood295902819oct29

Islip school food program wins $5,000 state award

Despite financial crunches, outdated federal standards and children who simply think vegetables are yucky, <a href="/topics/Long_Island">Long Island</a> school food directors strive to make improvements. 
Elwood's Delia Neitzel puts snacks in a separate room of the high school cafeteria, so students can't get them on the lunch line. In the elementary schools, a snack cart comes around only after kids have had time to eat their meals. 
About five years ago she banned French fries as an a la carte item. Now kids get fries only when they're part of a standard meal. "Students freaked out," she said. 
In 2005, fries were banned from all South Huntington cafeterias. "Even if they're baked, there's still a coating of oil," said food service director Charlie McTiernan, who removed fries despite complaints from students and parents. 
"They got over it," he said. "I said if you really have to get your French fries, wait till 2:37 and walk over to <a href="/topics/McDonald%27s">McDonald's</a>." 
South Huntington has been featuring hash browns, which have less fat. But now McTiernan wants to replace those with roasted potatoes. 
Each year Neitzel removes another snack item. So far, she's eliminated ice cream, Gatorade and nachos with cheese. 
To help filter out junk food, many local districts have adopted some form of Choose Sensibly, a <a href="/topics/New_York">New York</a> School Nutrition Association campaign with limits on fats, sodium and sugar for snack items. 
 West Babylon is the only Long Island district participating in the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. The program is a partnership between the <a href="/topics/American_Heart_Association">American Heart Association</a> and the William J. Clinton Foundation with stricter guidelines for cafeteria snacks. 
Snapple, SunnyD and Yoo-hoo no longer are allowed. Otis Spunkmeyer cookies are banned. 
 Southampton's school food director buys produce from local farmers despite the extra cost. Every Monday morning a pickup truck arrives, carrying crates of apples from Milk Pail, a farm in nearby Watermill. 
As a school custodian wheels in four crates of Brayburns, Fujis and Gold Rushes, food service director Regan Kiembock compares costs: The Watermill apples are 30 to 33 cents apiece, while fruit purchased through a bidding process can cost as little as 14 cents. 
Two to three times a year, Kiembock goes to the Zaluski farm stand in Watermill and loads her <a href="/topics/Ford_Explorer">Ford Explorer</a> with about 300 ears of corn. 
"I'd like to do it more," she said. "It really is a cost factor, unfortunately." 
Some directors make changes collectively. Eight districts formed a cooperative association in 1989 to increase purchasing power. Now the alliance has 38 members. Food service directors are responsible for certain bids. For example, one person is in charge of beverages, another handles bread. 
"The costs were exorbitant," recalled Three Village's Lois Chait. "We needed to find a way school lunch programs could survive as a self-sustaining program." 
Three Village saves $29,400 yearly on milk costs by being part of the co-op, Chait said last school year. 
Banding together "is very innovative," said Tom Osterhout, director of food distribution and warehousing for the state Office of General Services. 
His office awarded the co-op a $5,000 "best practices" award last year. The money will be used to buy new equipment for member districts. Osterhout said the co-op is seen as a model for districts in the lower Hudson and Buffalo areas.

ny-lichan265897635oct26

Despite challenges, schools push for healthier meals

Few students were waiting for teriyaki chicken sandwiches at Long Beach Senior High School. Yet the pizza line spilled beyond the cafeteria's doors.Friday is pizza day in schools across Long Island. At Long Beach, and many other high schools, pizza day is every day. 
Kevin Hannon Jr., Long Beach's director of nutrition services, has embarked on a mission to revamp school food there. He's starting with pizza."It's the No. 1 most acceptable food," Hannon explained. 
It's also the most frequently offered hot entree in districts across the Island, served at nearly 40 percent of all meals, according to a Newsday survey of school menus. 
Instead of heating frozen pies as the district used to in the past, Hannon decided to make pizza from scratch in the high school cafeteria kitchen -- with a new $11,000 oven, no different from the ones used in professional pizzerias. 
When he began last year, one of the first things he did was hire a special cook. He interviewed six candidates from local pizzerias and hired Mike Causi from popular Gino's. 
Pizza, Hannon said, is not as unhealthy as some might argue: "It's protein, grain and vegetable all in one food." 
Sari Greaves, an American Dietetic Association spokeswoman, agreed but said pizza can be high in saturated fat because of cheese. Just one ounce of cheese, she said, has about 5 grams of saturated fat. 
"I wouldn't count pizza as a cause of childhood obesity," she said. "But it can also pack on a lot of calories if you don't practice portion control." 
 Thomas Murphy, school lunch manager for the Longwood district, said he tried a few years ago to move away from "pizza Fridays." But pizza is a big part of Long Island culture, he noted, with pizzerias dotting main streets and strip malls across the region. 
Angela Brams, a mother of two students in the Bethpage district, where pizza is offered every Friday, said its popularity is simply an excuse to not offer healthier options. 
"Pizza is being glorified, so to speak, on the menu," she said. "If you're putting pizza as the main lunch of the day and you're putting the salad in the corner, you're not helping them make a good choice." 
But kids rely on routine, Murphy said, explaining why he continued with the weekly tradition. "A child likes that stability of 'I'll have pizza every Friday,'" he said, while acknowledging that he knows many families tend to have pizza for dinner on Fridays. 
So he decided to compensate by making his pizza healthier, using fresh-baked whole wheat crust and low-fat mozzarella cheese, a change many other districts have implemented. 
At Long Beach, Hannon has kept the traditional high-gluten flour because "whole wheat crust isn't really accepted by the students." 
At about 6:15 on the morning of his debut, Causi was kneading and tossing dough, grating cheese and making tomato sauce from scratch in the basement kitchen. During lunch, he couldn't get the pies out fast enough, putting them into pizzeria-style boxes and loading them into a dumbwaiter. 
Upstairs, a long line of students waited for a slice. One boy asked if he could buy an entire pie, flustering the server. Hannon told the boy he could only buy a slice as a lunch -- and an extra slice as a snack.

ny-schools-pizza26

Schools stick with pizza but make it healthier

School districts across Long Island, which collect nearly $7 billion each year in taxes, offer lunch menus dominated by pizza, chicken nuggets, burgers and fries despite a nationwide call to fight childhood obesity. 
School food service directors say they could serve healthier meals with more money. Yet virtually none of Long Island's local school taxes help finance lunch programs. 
Instead, cafeterias are expected to pay for themselves -- the only major school program that bears that burden. To make ends meet, most school lunch directors sell snacks such as cookies and chips. 
With taxes paying for everything from artificial turf to computer labs, some experts say food programs, which play a role in children's education, shouldn't have to be self-supporting. "We don't expect a math teacher to generate a profit," said Kate Adamick, an attorney and chef who consults with school food services nationwide. "We don't expect an English teacher to generate a profit." 
Long Island is not alone. Like the rest of the nation, local school food programs battle tight finances, lax and outdated federal standards and a variety of cultural forces -- most notably, the preference of kids for fast food. Some districts navigate those challenges better than others. 
Across Long Island, schools have made gradual efforts to improve their food since the federal government ordered districts nationwide to develop wellness policies starting in the 2006-2007 school year. Some districts have limited what snacks can be sold in cafeterias, ordered teachers to stop rewarding students with candy, or banned cupcakes at birthday parties. But most cafeterias have seen few sweeping changes in recent years for the 200,000 students who eat school lunch meals daily. 
Financial and nutritional documents obtained from 76 of Long Island's 124 districts, visits to about 20 schools, a dietitian's analysis of food in 10 districts, and interviews with dozens of experts and school food professionals, found: 
In the 2006-2007 school year, 14 districts contributed local tax dollars to their school food programs. Money from vending machine contracts in schools virtually always was spent on other areas, such as sports and scholarships.Long Island schools on average charged full-paying students $1.66 last year, according to a Newsday survey. Some school lunch directors said $3 would be more realistic to serve healthy food. 
The sale of snacks -- which range from ice cream to French fries -- can account for 50 percent of a food program's revenue. 
A registered dietitian's review of menus and nutritional information in 10 Long Island districts found mixed results: Nearly all served food higher in sodium and trans fat than national recommended guidelines, while exceeding standards for protein, fiber, vitamin C and calcium. 
In districts with higher percentages of kids who receive free and reduced-price lunches, students tend to eat healthier because more of them get the standard, portion-controlled meal and buy fewer snacks. Because the districts receive government reimbursements of about $2.62 per meal, much higher than what most districts charge for a full-price meal, they have fewer money woes. 
Processed foods that require less labor to prepare and are high in fat and salt dominate menus in Long Island school cafeterias. Pizza was served at nearly 40 percent of school lunches last year. Chicken nuggets and other processed, breaded chicken products were offered at nearly a third of meals, and hamburgers or cheeseburgers at nearly one-quarter of meals. 
Most school districts here -- like their counterparts nationwide -- expect lunch programs to pay their own way. Some give them subsidies, usually to cover budget shortfalls. 
Long Beach is one of the few school districts that has repeatedly subsidized its food program in recent years. Anticipating increased labor costs and another deficit last school year, Superintendent Bob Greenberg said the district gave the program $175,000. The money mostly paid for employee health benefits and equipment, including a state-of-the-art pizza oven and a $40,000 self-cooking center. 
Food service director Kevin Hannon said the center -- a combination steamer that can bake, roast, steam, blanch and poach -- makes healthier food and allows more cooking from scratch. "This is the latest in technology," Hannon said, adding that it also can prepare healthier, less oily fries. 
Long Beach included $250,000 for the food program in this year's budget, which Hannon said will pay for a computerized register system and allow for the purchase of more fresh ingredients -- including romaine instead of iceberg lettuce, and leafy greens such as spinach. 
Superintendents acknowledge district budgets could subsidize school food programs, but they expect cafeterias to be self-sufficient. 
"Your food service has a revenue stream, which your other programs don't," said John Richman, superintendent of Roslyn schools. 
Typically, when a district chooses to subsidize its food program, it is plugging a deficit. That was the case in Roslyn in 2006-07 when the food program received $25,000 from the district, Richman said. 
"I guess the mindset is that, well, food is the responsibility of the parent and it's subsidized for the kids who need the support." 
If a district funds school food, he asked, "Where does that end then? If a child comes in without an adequate coat, should the school buy them coats and boots just because their parents pay high taxes?" 
Island Park's budget allocated $50,000 for school food in 2006-07 mainly because the small district's limited purchasing power leads to financial difficulties, said superintendent Edward Price. 
The main priority, he said, is to provide balanced meals that meet government standards. Last week's offerings there included pizza, chicken nuggets, and hot dogs. "You can debate whether it's a good meal," he said. "The nutritional people who want salads and all fresh fruit, are we going to be able to meet their desires at these kinds of prices? No, that's not going to happen. That doesn't mean children are not getting a good meal." 
If taxpayers don't feel their children are being fed appropriately, he said, "they have the option to brown-bag it." 
Some parents agree, but others want to see some district funds go toward making food healthier. 
"I think the quality of the food presented needs to be of greatest concern," said Jennifer Donovan, whose daughter is in the seventh grade at Finley Junior High School in Huntington. She said she wants her daughter to be able to get more fresh fruits and vegetables at school. "But let's face it, they just cost more," she said, adding that some contribution from the district would help. 
Allan Gerstenlauer, superintendent of Longwood schools, said there's never been a need to fund his district's food program. He said it's important to separate food programs to protect them from budget proposals that could be rejected by voters. 
"If school districts were to take on the task of providing meals to children, that would inevitably drive the costs of education even higher," he said. "The school lunch program has been run as a self-sustaining operation for many, many years and it seems to work fairly well that way." 
But food service directors say it's not working that well and more money needs to come from somewhere. 
The New York School Nutrition Association, which represents 3,500 food service directors statewide, believes the government should completely subsidize school food, allowing all children to eat for free. 
"We want to be part of the school day, just as math, science and language classes," said executive director Carol Beebe. 
She said food service directors understand district budgets might be stretched too thin to provide substantial subsidies. But she said if districts want to see food improve, administrators should consider offering financial support. 
"If you have high expectations of your program and it's not making ends meet," she said, "then you need to look at subsidizing your program." 
That's what West Babylon did this year, giving its food service program $75,000 -- the first time the district ever provided a subsidy. 
With rising costs of food and labor, and urgent calls for combating childhood obesity, "We suspect there's going to have to be some money in future budgets," said Dominick Palma, assistant superintendent for curriculum and student services. 
The subsidy is helping the cafeteria program break even without relying as heavily on the sale of junk food. "I don't have to resort to selling high-fat and high-sodium snacks, which are the moneymakers," said food service director Adrianne Goldenbaum. 
As cafeteria workers prepared the lunch line at West Babylon Junior High School last school year, Goldenbaum was in her office, crunching numbers. White receipt paper spat out as she calculated what she could spend on a meal given the $2.53 in government reimbursements she got last year for a meal served to a student who receives free lunch. 
One dollar and 40 cents for labor. Eight cents for materials and supplies. "Trays, plastic forks, soap for the pots," she sighed. Four cents for equipment maintenance. Five cents for miscellaneous expenses. 
For the food itself, a grand total of 96 cents. 
And when Goldenbaum's expenses were deducted from the $1.66 that districts charged on average for a full-price meal on Long Island last year, plus the 29-cent government reimbursement for a full-price meal, there was less than 40 cents left over for food. 
Goldenbaum said the $75,000 from the district's budget this year made her feel that administrators value making food healthier, but the amount won't lead to any dramatic improvements. 
"It's going to just help the program survive at least another year," she said, "because of increased costs in all areas." 
Raising the price of a meal is difficult when those decisions are in the hands of elected school boards, food service directors say privately, for fear of angering board members. 
"We, as the food service directors, can't just walk in there and say, 'This is it, we're raising prices,'" Beebe said. "You are lucky to be getting a quarter from the school boards." 
Lawrence Gross, a Great Neck trustee, said boards are protecting parents. "I don't think that concern is purely political, that we're afraid of being voted down," he said. "It's purely for keeping costs down." 
Some board members say they would only approve incremental hikes. 
"Depending on the quality of the food, I think 25 cents, maybe 30 cents increase, that range would be acceptable," said Ron Wayne, a Deer Park trustee. "Anything over that I would probably not vote for." Deer Park is one of about 50 Long Island districts that contract food service out to a private company, such as Aramark. 
Price hikes can produce results. 
When Jane Steigerwarld started running Islip's food service five years ago, she convinced the school board that the best way to improve lunch would be to raise prices from $1.60 to $2 at the high school -- in the upper 25 percent of prices charged by Long Island schools. That helped bring offerings such as tomato basil cheese salad, broccoli pinwheels and cranberry Jell-O made with real cranberries. Participation rates rose. 
The high school price was raised again, to $2.50. Steigerwarld, who retired in June, said she thinks the ideal price would be $3. 
Labor costs can be daunting, making up an average of 51 percent of a food program's expenses, according to about 30 budgets obtained by Newsday. That's one reason so many items are processed foods, with fewer items made from scratch. 
"The more things I make from scratch, the more labor hours I have," said Elena Lynch-Dobert, food service director at Rocky Point. "I can't go out and buy expensive, organic food. You have to balance." 
Lynch-Dobert stopped at the lunch line one day last fall to see how the three-bean salad was doing. Made with green, kidney and navy beans, it was the most labor-intensive item on the menu, one she was trying to get students to take. 
Many seventh-graders having lunch in the Sayville Middle School cafeteria last school year munched on tortilla chips accompanied by a cup of bright orange cheese. "The kids go gaga over the nacho cheese and chips," said head cook Cheryl Heckle, pointing to a dispenser that pumps out the cheese. 
A few girls at one table opted for two chocolate chip cookies each and a bottle of Snapple iced tea. 
To help break even, almost all school districts sell snacks -- cookies, chips, drinks, a second slice of pizza, a side order of fries. Those items and meals sold to adults are considered "a la carte" sales. 
In two-thirds of the 42 districts that provided complete financial information to Newsday, a la carte sales made up more than 25 percent of revenue in 2006-07. In Garden City, slightly more than 70 percent of sales revenue comes from student a la carte purchases. It's more than 50 percent in Roslyn and more than 60 percent of total revenue in Bellmore-Merrick. 
Snacks, often laden with sugar, fat or salt, have no place in school cafeterias, nutritionists say. 
"I would love for school cafeterias to be a model for nutrition," said Steigerwarld, a registered dietitian herself. But, she said, "We can't survive without our a la carte sales. We're forced to sell snacks." 
A la carte purchases by students make up nearly 25 percent of Islip's total revenue. 
The USDA does not allow foods of "minimal nutritional value" to be sold during meal times. That rule, which has not been changed since 1979, does not address fat, salt and sugar. Soda can't be sold; neither can seltzer. But items such as chips, cookies and sports drinks can, which doctors and nutritionists find perplexing. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit specializing in food and nutrition issues, calls the rule "woefully out of date." 
While most states have snack policies, experts argue they should be more comprehensive. The Center for Science in the Public Interest's School Foods Report Card for 2007 evaluated state-level nutritional policies. Only two states -- Oregon and Kentucky -- scored higher than a B-plus. 
Twenty-three states have stronger policies than New York, which got a D-plus for having only one policy. New York's rule prohibits the sale of food of minimal nutritional value and all candy from the beginning of the school day until the end of the last scheduled meal. It's a "very weak" rule, said Margo Wootan, the center's director of nutrition policy, compared to states with all-day standards limiting saturated fat, trans fats, salt and sugar. 
Experts say the meal itself -- the basis of the National School Lunch program, which began in 1946 as a way to give schoolchildren complete, nutritious meals -- also needs attention. 
"As we're getting more and more of the junk food out of the schools," Wootan said, "we need to go back and improve the quality of the meal." 
But as they strive to improve nutrition, food service directors say they must consider kids' tastes and not alienate the students they are serving. The amount of government reimbursements a district receives is tied to participation rates -- the number of students who buy the standard meal. So there's intense pressure to keep children coming through the lunch line. 
This leads to what one upstate food service director calls "stealth nutrition" -- tricking students into healthy eating instead of teaching them to make healthy choices. 
Students in Sayville, for example, don't know that the bologna and taco meat are actually made with turkey, said food service director Linda Horrigan. 
Hamlin said she understands the fear of losing participation, but added, "If all the food was healthy, the kids would be hungry and they'd eat it." 
It's not that simple. 
Ashley Moscato, an Islip High School junior last school year, doesn't care about healthy food. She would rather eat at Taco Bell or McDonald's. "You only live once," she said. 
Anthony Nieto, a Southampton eighth-grader, shuns his school's sweet potato fries. "They look gross," he said. 
In the end, Rocky Point's Lynch-Dobert said, the challenge is changing students' tastes. On the fall day three-bean salad was served, she watched the bustle of students making their way through the line. She frowned as students bypassed the small plastic cups. Only 18 of the 28 containers prepared were taken.

ny-schools-lifood26

Lean funding, fatty food

Jeffrey Chance stood at a table in the Shaw Avenue Elementary cafeteria, gobbling up his chicken sandwich, Hershey's chocolate milk and Dutch apple pie. It wasn't a meal served in the Valley Stream school's cafeteria. It was from Burger King, delivered by his mom. 
"I don't like school cafeteria food," said Jeffrey, a sixth-grader last school year. 
Kids who crave junk food are one of the most potent cultural forces buffeting Long Island school food service directors trying to make school lunches healthier.Others include the powerful marketing machine behind the nation's biggest fast food players; Long Islanders' distinctly regional preferences for the often unhealthy foods served up by hundreds of local pizzerias and delis; and bad eating habits of harried suburban families who share home-cooked meals less frequently than in the past. 
School food directors say they also contend with competition from within: soda in school vending machines, candy at school stores, brownies from bake sales and classroom parties. 
"We can't just go out there and put a piece of tofu and broccoli on a plate and say, 'This is the healthiest meal you're going to eat,'" said Carol Beebe, executive director of New York School Nutrition Association. "Especially if they're not eating tofu and broccoli at home. But it doesn't mean we don't try." 
 Fast food Island BIG NUMBERS: $11.26B: U.S. food, beverage, candy and restaurant ads in 2004 $9.55M: Ads for federal Five-A-Day campaign promoting fruits and vegetables 
 McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and Taco Bell franchises line the streets of Long Island -- more than two for every one of Long Island's 110 districts with a school lunch program. 
Alluring images of crispy fries and juicy burgers flood magazines and television. Burger King alone spent $364 million in U.S. advertising in 2007, according to Advertising Age. 
Even when commercials aren't targeted to kids, they're seeing the ads anyway, said Chuck McMellon, a Hofstra University marketing professor. Junk food is often marketed with cartoon characters, he said, and commercials are replete with catchy jingles. 
"The flip side of it is ... we rarely see an ad for a banana," he said. "Almost all the good foods aren't promoted at all." And when they are, the advertising tends to be directed at adults, McMellon said. 
Kim Rozzano, a junior at East Meadow High School, said fast food is so popular among her classmates that "if they had Taco Bell in school, the school would be rich. Taco Bell for our school is the 'it' food. Kids want to go there all the time. On a Friday night, the tables are packed." 
In recent years, fast food companies have offered salads and other healthier alternatives to burgers and fries. "If I go to McDonald's, I eat the apple walnut salad," said Karley Bourke, a Southampton Intermediate seventh-grader. "Trans fats are poisonous and they can kill you." 
 For kids, a matter of taste 
On a day off from school, Craig Baer, a senior at Rocky Point High School, sat down to lunch last winter at the Smith Haven Mall food court. He munched on two orders of Wendy's chicken nuggets, a hamburger and fries. 
His biggest complaint about school food is that it's "too healthy." He bypasses the standard meal of the day and orders a spicy chicken sandwich daily, and would like to see Papa John's pizza served more often than Mondays and Wednesdays. 
Adriana Garcia, a West Hempstead mom who said she tries her best to only buy organic food, said that no matter what she serves, her children still crave junk food. She says her children, 5 and 7, are drawn to "crunch." 
"If it's mushy like beans and lentils, to them that's gross," she said. And they don't like leafy greens such as collards, she said.Teenage girls' fears of gaining weight also can complicate the effort to make lunch healthier. 
"We eat bagels every day," said Felicia Richard, of Jericho High School, as she sat with three other girls who picked at cinnamon raisin bagels.Each said she spends about $5 per day on a bagel, a can of iced tea and snacks such as Special K cereal bars or Pop Tarts. "It's a 400-calorie Pop Tart," pointed out Niki Yeganeh. She said she pays careful attention to calories: "I think about how hungry I am and how much fat it has and how big I'll get."Blake Novick said she believed the bagel was less fattening than the baked ziti offered that day. "The hot meal is more like comfort food," she said. "You only eat it when you're depressed." 
Rocky Point food service director Elena Lynch-Dobert said it often feels like teenagers don't want healthy food. "We can offer it to them, but they still have to take it," she said. "The high school level is difficult to change." 
 Regional favorites endure Nearly 1,300 delis and 900 pizzerias dot LI -- almost 20 for every school district with a school lunch program. 

When Adrianne Goldenbaum arrived on Long Island nearly 30 years ago from Florida, she noticed that meatball heroes were popular here, while corn dogs were a hit in Broward County. 
"In this community, anything with red sauce is a big seller," said Goldenbaum, school lunch director for the West Babylon school district. Those big sellers include items such as pizza and chicken parmigiana. 
Such foods -- often full of fatty cheeses and salty meats -- are sold at local pizzerias and delis, beloved Long Island institutions rooted in New York neighborhoods that gave birth to many Long Islanders, their parents, or their grandparents. 
Many local schools also offer Boar's Head deli meat, hoping the familiarity will increase cafeteria dining. A company spokeswoman said more than 300 Boar's Head products, including some lower-sodium items, are available on Long Island -- more than anywhere in the country. 
Because the brand was founded in Brooklyn in 1905, "Generations of people in New York and on Long Island grew up eating Boar's Head," said RuthAnn LaMore.But Long Island's tastes are changing, Goldenbaum notices, as more diverse immigrants from Latin America, Asia and Russia build lives here. 
Edwin Cordero of Brentwood High School, a junior and recent immigrant from the Dominican Republic, said he'd like to see more rice served in the cafeteria because that's what he eats a lot of at home. Brentwood has occasionally served plantains, rice and beans, and collard greens to high school students, food service director Deborah Credidio said. 
 Habits from harried homes Both parents work in more than 159,000 LI households with children 17 and under -- about 60 percent, the census says. 
Just as cooking from scratch once was the norm in American homes, so it was in school cafeterias. But as eating habits have changed, so has school food. What's more, food service directors who need their cafeterias to break even say they model fast food to keep the kids coming through the line.Goldenbaum said that four years ago she wanted to move away from the fast-food trend. But parents complained, she said, telling her, "My child is skinny. My child only eats hamburgers and French fries." 
Mark Sabella, director of dining for the Lindenhurst district, said cafeteria servers often face children who simply don't want the healthier options. He recalled helping on the line a few years ago when, "I put corn on the kid's tray and he cried until I took it off."At Daniel Street Elementary in Sabella's district, fifth-grader Kaitlyn Reichert was resolute about her love for chicken nuggets. If they disappeared from the cafeteria, she said, "I would bring my own lunch." 
Goldenbaum says that what kids eat at home influences how they eat at school. George Pope, a fourth-grader at Greenport Elementary School, eats the standard meal daily -- throwing out the veggies because he hates them -- and usually gets a pretzel for a snack. But outside school, "I eat five hot dogs every day," he said with pride. "I like fried chicken, macaroni and cheese." 
Garcia, the West Hempstead mother, said she rejects the view by some professionals who suggest kids themselves are an obstacle to improving school food. "I think that's an excuse," she said. 
"Children will really eat what you give them," she said. And the same can apply to cafeteria meals, she said. 
Without forcing them, Garcia said, she tries to get her children to be open-minded about food by showing them how it's made and by being an adult role model. "They see me eating it," she said. "They see my husband eating it." 
Often, economic realities and the pressures of being working parents can make serving healthy food at home difficult. 
When Jeffrey Chance's mother was asked about bringing her son a Burger King meal last year, she said, "I won't have time to make lunch, so yeah, I'll go to Burger King." 
Annemarie Chance said she rarely purchases soda or burgers from fast-food outlets. "I'm a nurse," she said. "I always try to buy something that's at least a little bit healthy." 
She works the night shift and her husband works days as a substance abuse counselor. 
Her son simply doesn't like school food, she said, so buying items off a fast-food dollar menu or getting a Subway sandwich are the cheapest alternatives to home-cooked lunches. 
"That's the only way he'll eat," she said. "Not all fast-food is unhealthy. The school food isn't that healthy, either."

ny-schools-likids26

More than just money

Grassroots Bake Shop - whose sky-blue walls, a painted sun and butternut squash soup make it a cozy neighborhood hangout - is a short walk away from North Shore High School in Glen Head. 
Students bought muffins from owner Rob Mansfield's three-year-old shop so often he figured it would be simple enough to sell his baked goods on campus. 
Mansfield, 44, approached North Shore officials with a proposal, insisting his muffins would be a better snack option than the junk food sold in the school's cafeteria. 
Baked goods, he says, don't have to be unhealthy. "People think of it as, 'Oh, it's all sweets and fattening,' but it's so not that," he said. "Everything we do is baked and natural." 
And, he argues, "Our kids should be eating better." 
But because the district follows the Choose Sensibly program, where snack items can have no more than 7 grams of fat and 15 grams of sugar, Mansfield needed to adjust his recipe to make it healthier. 
"I knew we used real sugar and real butter, but I had no idea" what the fat and sugar amounts were, he said. 
With the help of a consultant who creates $4,000 wedding cakes, he tried different combinations "for months and months" and about 20 recipes later, produced a muffin that didn't taste obviously low-fat. 
"It was important that the quality has to be exemplary," said Mansfield, whose low-fat cranberry and banana chocolate chip muffins are soft and moist. And his muffin line ranges between 4.8 and 7 grams of fat, and between 9.3 and 15 grams of sugar - within the program's guidelines. 
But his muffins suffered by comparison in some ways. The muffins originally offered at North Shore, as at many other schools, were "cheaper and huge." Mansfield sells his school muffins for $1.95, but at 3 ounces they're smaller than his original recipe, which is 3.5 ounces. 
In September 2006, he started selling 18 muffins a day at North Shore. By the end of that school year, he was selling more than 100, in four varieties. 
"I like them," said Ahwa Sung, a North Shore junior, last year. "They're really tiny, though, and a little expensive." 
Now Mansfield goes to districts across Long Island giving samples to students. Three Village, Locust Valley and Roslyn are among the districts that sell his muffins. 
Betsy McLoughlin, food service director for Roslyn schools, said the muffins are sold in the high school. Four dozen muffins and scones are sold out by the end of the week. "The kids love them," she said. "I think they're a healthy item for the kids." There, the muffins sell for $2.25. 
Along with his muffins, Mansfield hopes to sell the notion that healthy school food doesn't have to taste bad. He wants to show students how to aspire to better taste and quality. 
"I'm glad we're giving kids balanced choices, but if it tastes bad . . . kids aren't going to eat it."

ny-limuff2811119703oct28

Baker's low-fat muffins hot item on campus

An estimated 17 percent of children and adolescents ages 2-19 are overweight, according to a national 2003-04 study. 
Data from a 1976-80 survey and from the 2003-04 study show that the prevalence of overweight children aged 2 5 years increased during that period from 5 percent to 13.9 percent. For ages 6 to 11, prevalence increased from 6.5 percent to 18.8 percent. For ages 12 to 19, prevalence increased from 5 percent to 17.4 percent. (A child whose Body Mass Index -- BMI -- lies between the 85th and 95th percentile is considered overweight. A child with a BMI equal to or greater than the 95th percentile is classified as obese.) 
National survey data indicate that 20 percent of U.S. children 8- to 16-years-old reported two or fewer bouts of vigorous physical activity per week, and more than 25 percent watched at least four hours of television per day -- both trends confirmed by studies showing that children are less active now than indicated in previous surveys, and that their leisure activity is increasingly sedentary. Among high school students, 35 percent watched three or more hours of television per day on an average school day, and 25 percent played video or computer games or used a computer for something that was not schoolwork for three or more hours per day. 
There also has been a drop among children in frequency and duration of physical activities, such as walking to school and doing household chores, in their daily living. 
Daily participation in school physical education among adolescents dropped 14 percentage points over a 13-year period -- from 42 percent in 1991 to 28 percent in 2003. 
Obese children and teens have been found to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), including high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and abnormal glucose tolerance. In a sample of 5- to 17-year-olds, almost 60 percent of overweight children had at least one CVD risk factor while 25 percent of overweight children had two or more CVD risk factors. 
Type 2 diabetes has become increasingly common among children aged 6-11 years and adolescents aged 12-19 years. During the mid-1990s, type 2 diabetes in youth increased tenfold in the United States and mirrored the childhood obesity epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 206,000 cases of diabetes among those under 20 in the United States in 2002, giving an estimated prevalence of 0.25 percent. 
Obesity, along with family history, stands out as a prominent risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes. Only 20 percent of students eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. 
 Sources: The 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; American Academy of Pediatrics; American Disabilities Association; National Association for Sport and Physical Education; National Youth Risk Behavior Survey; Statement of Francine Kaufman, Past National President American Diabetes Association, to a Senate health committee in 2008.

ny-schools-txtheal

A look at the state of American children's health

In 2004, Congress required all school districts that participate in federally funded meal programs to develop wellness policies addressing nutrition and physical activity. According to the law, policies needed to be in place at the start of the 2006 academic year. 
The policies were to be created in each district by a committee responsible for overseeing implementation. In districts across Long Island those bodies are made up of parents, teachers, students, coaches and school nurses. 
Because there are no mechanisms for compliance oversight, wellness plans vary from district to district. Some districts have very detailed plans, while others do not. 
"Congress specifically made the decision that these policies were to be locally designed and developed," said Kate Houston, the Department of Agriculture's deputy undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services. 
The USDA is working with the Department of Education and the Centers for Disease Control to provide schools with technical assistance in formulating policies, she said.

ny-schools-txtwell26

Federal directive requires school wellness policy

Department of Agriculture standards for school meals haven't been upgraded since the mid-1990s. With no regulations for reduced sodium and increased whole grains, school meal standards aren't even on par with current Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the federal government's advice on good dietary habits published every five years. 
 South Huntington food service director Charlie McTiernan said the USDA, which oversees the national school lunch program, should update standards for the food it supplies to school districts -- for example, chicken reprocessed into chicken nuggets. 
 "Tyson is not going to change their practice," he said, "just because 60 school lunch directors from Long Island demand it." 
The USDA has contracted with the Institute of Medicine -- a private nongovernmental organization that provides advice on health issues to policy-makers, government agencies and others -- for suggestions on updating the standards. But it could be after 2010 before any rules go into effect, said Kate Houston, a USDA deputy undersecretary. 
The agency distributes free food monthly to 100,000 schools nationwide, food it buys as surplus from farmers. Houston said USDA commodities make up 15 percent to 20 percent of a school meal. 
Schools pay a minimal warehousing fee -- about $2 per case -- for commodities valued at up to $50-$60 per case. Records from the 2007-08 school year show Long Island schools favored processed, sliced yellow cheese. Meatless canned spaghetti sauce came in second. Beef and chicken products also ranked high, as did potatoes. 
Those preferences are common across the state. 
"You probably will never see schools say no to beef and cheese," said Thomas Osterhout, director of the state Office of General Services' division of food distribution and warehousing. "It's expensive stuff they use all the time." 
Osterhout oversees a network of warehouses where USDA commodities are delivered. A newly constructed Brentwood facility houses Long Island's USDA commodities, replacing one in Central Islip. 
A large district could contract with a trucking company to transport the commodities while a smaller one might send a custodian in a pickup truck, Osterhout said. 
Houston said the USDA has improved its offerings over time. All canned fruit is now packed in juice, water or light syrup. Heavy syrup hasn't been used for 10 years, she said. Butter hasn't been offered since 1997 and beef patties' fat content is 10 percent. 
Those involved in school food service say the USDA should provide more subsidies to fruit and vegetable farmers. 
"They're telling us to make food healthier, yet they're supporting the wrong kind of farmers," McTiernan said. "They're not helping us while they're helping farmers."

ny-schools-liusda26

USDA slow in updating standards for school lunches

School food-service directors say serving cafeteria meals means managing budgets where every penny counts. 
Self-operating programs run by district employees are set up to function as separate businesses and rarely receive any money from the school district's budget. To stay afloat, these food programs rely mainly on sales of meals. 
There are two basic types of revenue from meals: money from students paying the full price, and government reimbursements for meals served to students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals. 
For the current school year, the federal government reimburses $2.57 for every free lunch. Reduced lunches, for which districts usually charge students 25 cents, receive a $2.17 federal reimbursement. Districts get 24 cents from the federal government for a full-priced meal. 
The state also reimburses 5.99 cents for free and full-priced meals, and 19.81 cents for reduced-price meals. 
Revenue from full-priced meals varies from district to district; the average price last year was $1.66 per meal, according to a <a href="/topics/Newsday">Newsday</a> survey. School boards dictate what cafeterias charge for a meal. 
Another major source of revenue, the largest amount in some districts, is money from the sale of a la carte items -- any snack items students purchase outside the reimbursable meal and meals sold to adults. Some districts also cater school functions to make money. 
The major expenditures are for food and labor. Other expenses include equipment, maintenance and supplies. 
 Here is a typical budget, from the West Babylon food service for the 2008-2009 school year: 
 EXPENSES 
 Food: $735,257 
 Labor: $663,673 (employee salaries), $220,500 (health, dental and life insurance benefits; uniforms, Social Security, retirement) 
 Equipment: $40,000 (including purchase and maintenance of such items as refrigerators, ovens, pots, pans, spatulas) 
 Materials/supplies : $69,000 (e.g., trays, soap, aluminum foil) 
 Conferences: $2,500 (food service conferences and membership dues for organizations such as the School Nutrition Association and the <a href="/topics/Long_Island">Long Island</a> food co-op) 
 REVENUE 
 Full-priced meals: $575,000 
 Other food sales (a la carte snacks, teacher meals, catering): $522,629 
 Checking account interest: $1,500 
 Federal reimbursements: $360,000 (est.) 
 State reimbursements: $40,000 (est.) 
 Funds from the district's budget: $75,000 
 Inventory (value of food and supplies left over from previous year): $39,452 
 Fund balance (state law bars districts from having more than three months of operating costs): $76,213

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School lunch budgets rely on sales of meals

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12-year-old Cesar Albarracin Guncay, a 6th grader in Sag Harbor, died during a rafting field trip in the Poconos after the raft overturned in the river.

'Cesar was a cherished member of our school family'

NewsdayTV's Macy Egeland speaks to actor Gary Sinise about the Wantagh Union Free School District partnering with his foundation to raise money for field trips to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, as well as a commemorative 9/11 statue in front of Wantagh High School.

'To make sure those students never forget'

Sara Lopez Garcia recorded an address to her class from her native Colombia. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.

'Never underestimate your strength'

Chaminade twins John and Joseph Gomes were named valedictorian and salutatorian, a first for the all-boys Catholic school in Mineloa.

Twins make val and sal history

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The prestigious Gates award is given annually to a select number of "outstanding" low-income students.

LI high school senior named Gates scholar, gets $332G college scholarship

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With fans' excitement reaching a fever pitch, parents are weighing whether they should bend the usual bedtime rules for what could be a once-in-a-lifetime event.

What happens when the Knicks game interferes with kids' bedtime?

Nine out of 10 first-year students and 84% of all undergraduates received grants, according to a new report from the National Association of College and University Business Officers.

You could save over 50% on your tuition at a private college. Here's how.

The survey also found a greater share of the Island's senior citizens entered poverty in the past 5 years.

Census survey shows spike in seniors living in poverty

Voters in the Bayport-Blue Point, Islip, Locust Valley, South Country and Three Village districts will once again be asked to approve their district's proposed budgets later this month.

Lower tax levy increases, deeper cuts: How 5 LI school districts are responding after budget vote fail

The districts and schools are among more than 1,000 nationwide named 2026 Best Communities for Music Education.

75 districts named 'best' for music education

The five-year agreement, which would run through July 1, 2031, would impact about 42,000 State University of New York faculty members and professionals.

Tentative SUNY faculty contract includes raises, more prenatal care leave

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Jesse Findling, of Massapequa Park, made a stop at his alma mater on Monday. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

'He just followed his dream'

A federal judge approved an agreement this week to phase out the Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, Plan. The move could affect millions of borrowers. Newsday's experts break it down.

'A lot of uncertainty'

The East Meadow school district is asking taxpayers to vote yes on a $71.5 million capital improvement bond. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

'It's good for the school district'

Dental professor Ira B. Lamster said the break with Stony Brook University was unrelated to the funding he received from Epstein. Newsday investigative reporter Joshua Solomon has more.

$100G grant from Epstein

A new report says the risks of AI in education are greater than the benefits. NewsdayTV spoke with a panel of experts on the topic.

A look at the risks of AI in education

It's been 40 years since the space shuttle Challenger disaster. Long Islanders remember where they were on Jan. 28, 1986.

'We had no idea what would transpire'

Under Gov. Kathy Hochul's budget proposal, Long Island districts would see a 3.8% increase in state aid. However, some districts would see modest decreases. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

'I'm concerned for the kids'

Gov. Hochul unveiled plans for her state budget proposal, including no new state taxes, a 4.3% increase in school aid and no taxes on tips. NewsdayTV political analyst Joye Brown has more.

'You can make historic investments'

Each semifinalist will receive $2,000 and their school will receive a matching amount. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

'I'm ecstatic'

Mamdani made universal child care a cornerstone of his campaign. NewsdayTV's Macy England talks with experts on how his plan could impact Long Island.

'I think it's an awesome idea'

Smithtown High School West sophomore Nicholas Cardi, is working with NASA on a project called Radio JOVE.

An out of this world experience

NewsdayTV's Jasmine Anderson is joined by education experts to discuss the rising concerns of marijuana vaping in Long Island schools.

'Young people are turning to vaping ... to cope'

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NYU researchers are surveying the Eastern box turtle population to better understand how they are faring against habitat destruction, roadways and global warming.`

Turtle-sniffing dogs searching LI for science

Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. spoke with NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa about what life is like for the Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann in jail.

Rex Heuermann's life behind bars

Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is back for a second stint with the Giants. Head coach John Harbaugh on Wednesday said Beckham seems healthier and Beckham said he is looking forward to making the most of the opportunity.

Odell Beckham Jr. back with the Giants

Recently passed state auto insurance reforms could help lower car insurance rates as much as 10% for New York drivers, according to some estimates. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

NYS takes crack at lowering auto insurance premiums. Here's what that means for LI.

NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits the Long Island Game Farm for an inside look at the incredible hands-on wildlife encounters there.

Out East: What's new at the Long Island Game Farm

If approved, it would be the first new hospital on Long Island since 1980. Newsday business reporter James T. Madore has more.

NYU Langone plans new hospital in Melville 

NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano visited Main Event, an entertainment center that recently opened in Deer Park.

Arcade, bowling and giant claw machine at Main Event 

Newsday food writer Erica Marcus helps make a strawberry crunch ice cream at Coyle's Ice Cream in Islip.

Making ice cream at Coyle's in Islip

Rockville Centre's Lavert Henderson-Hobbs has been a Knicks' season-ticket holder since 1969.

Rockville Centre's Lavert Henderson-Hobbs a Knicks' season-ticket holder since 1969

NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa visits Chubs Meats in Medford to try The Brunson, a sandwich inspired by the New York Knicks' star player.

Trendy Bites: Trying a Jalen Brunson-inspired sandwich

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Newsday is highlighting the passionate, engaging and innovative educators of Long Island with its Teacher Spotlight feature.

Teacher Spotlight

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Residents in LI's more than 120 school districts weighed in on board candidates, budgets and propositions. See how your district voted. For additional information, read our article here.

2026 School Vote

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Follow Long Island school district news from Nassau & Suffolk  including rankings, budgets, test scores and educator pay. 

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