NEWS RELEASE
Release Date: August 3, 2010
Contact: Shane McNeill, Director, Office of Healthy Schools, 601-359-1737, PSMcNeill@mde.k12.ms.us, or Pete Smith, Director of Communications, 601-359-1336, psmith@mde.k12.ms.us
New School Milk Standards Good Nutrition News for Mississippi Students - State Board of Education policies promote optimal nutrition for school meals
Jackson, Miss. - Mississippi Public and Non-Public School Food Service Administrators recently renewed their commitment, at their annual conference, to help students be well nourished and ready to learn and succeed in the classroom.
“One important change for the 2010-11 school year is the new policy for milk choices adopted by the State Board of Education in March,” says Shane McNeill, Director, Office of Healthy Schools, Mississippi Department of Education (www.healthyschoolsms.org). “The new standard is that the milk choices in Mississippi schools will only be fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1%). By lowering the fat content of school milk, children get the nutrients they need without extra fat and calories that can contribute to weight gain.”
According to Amy Olson, MS, RD (registered dietitian), Director of Training for Child Nutrition Programs in the Office of Healthy Schools, small changes in the fat content of milk can add up to a really healthy difference for Mississippi children. “Over the course of a school year, Mississippi schools serve over 29,200,000 cartons of milk. Even the change from 2% to 1% milk means that schools will be serving substantially less fat and calories, as well as significantly more nutrients to students.” Here’s how the change from 2% to 1% adds up for just one year in Mississippi schools:
• More than 71,841,000 fewer grams of fat
• More than 584,078,000 fewer calories
• More than 4,964,000 more grams of protein
• More than 350,447,000 more milligrams of calcium
“As children gradually become used to fat-free or skim milk, the reduction in fat and calories will be even greater as they choose these varieties away from school,” explains Olson. “Low-fat and fat-free dairy products are critical for children’s growth and for their overall health.”
Nutrient-rich milk, yogurt, and other dairy foods provide calcium, vitamin D, protein, and potassium that are necessary to build strong bones and teeth. The same nutrients can also help to lower blood pressure. Recent surveys, like the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), indicate that very few Mississippi youth are consuming the recommended three servings a day of dairy foods.
Lowering the fat content of milk is just one of the healthy changes headed for Mississippi school cafeterias and kitchens during the coming year notes McNeill. “Mississippi K-12 schools serve an average of more than 3.6 million breakfasts and 7.5 million lunches every month. Our goal is to make these the healthiest meals possible to promote students’ overall health and their academic success.”
Mississippi Child Nutrition directors, school administrators, and the Office of Healthy Schools are all working together to ensure healthy environments for children. With support from the Legislature, the State Board of Education, and The Bower Foundation, Mississippi has become a national leader in school nutrition improvements over the past five years. Ongoing changes in school kitchens and cafeterias include:
• Greater variety of vegetables and an increase in whole grains
• Specific timelines for the elimination of deep-fat fryers
• Incentives for more schools to meet the strict criteria for USDA’s HealthierUS School Challenge awards (www.fns.usda.gov/tn/healthierus/index.html)
• Comprehensive training for school superintendents, business managers, foodservice directors, and other district staff on implementing and marketing high quality Child Nutrition Programs
