There's No Doubt It Will Pass...
But Will It Be A Strong Policy We Can Be Proud Of?
Please Keep The Following Three Tenets In The Motion:
Item #4: "Instructs the Superintendent to provide at least one plant-based vegetarian option in addition to the salad bar as one of the 11 options served daily in the cafeteria."
*LAUSD Nutritional Services Says: It won't sell and they already offer a vegetarian option daily in the cafeteria. (Not true! And did you know deep-fried macaroni and cheese balls would qualify under their definition?)
We Say:
Provide at Least One Plant Based Vegetarian Option.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Institutes of Health, and the American Dietetic Association all recommend a greater emphasis in the American diet on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, with a reduction in the consumption of animal foods. In California, schools continue to rely upon the Nutrition Services Division's Food Distribution Program that delivers foods purchased and donated by the USDA. The most popular USDA-donated foods sent to processors are: beef, pork, chicken, and turkey. This invariably encourages schools to cut costs by using the above foods, despite the USDA's recommendation to "ensure financial decisions do not undermine nutrition goals". In light of this dilemma, the California legislature overwhelming passed ACR 16, authored by CA Assemblyman Joe Nation, which requests that the state departments of Education, Food and Agriculture and Health Services develop nutritionally sound school lunch menu plans that would provide daily optional plant-centered vegetarian school lunches. According to LAUSD's own estimates, there are between 22,000 and 37,000 vegetarian students in the district, many of which are lactose intolerant. Offering a plant-based meal is easy to do. LAUSD's Nutritional Service's Division already has applicable recipes approved by their own test kitchen and are already offered at selected LAUSD school sites. These can easily be prepared in proportions appropriate to demand since, unfortunately, meals are no longer prepared in our school kitchens, making heating and serving in small increments a simple task. A popular plant based item at Venice High School is our Veggie Chili Potato Boat. Even SYSCO Foods, the country's largest food service distributor, offers plant based meal distribution: www.MoonRoseVegetarian.com and other USDA approved recipes are readily available from the USDA's website, the Detroit Unified School District, and California's Project Healthy Beginnings.
Item #6: "Instructs the Superintendent to provide soymilk options wherever dairy is sold." LAUSD Nutritional Services says: it doesn't want to stock and invest in items that won't sell.
We Say:
Offer Soymilk Wherever Dairy Milk is Sold.
Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose, the primary sugar of milk. 30 to 50 million Americans are lactose intolerant. Broken down into ethnic groups, approximately 75% of African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans, 90% of Asian Americans and 15% of Caucasian Americans are lactose intolerant. Students who consume dairy, and are lactose intolerant, can experience an upset stomach, bloating, nausea, gas, cramps, and/or diarrhea. Some students choose not to consume dairy products due to ethical reasons or other health concerns. Soymilk is an excellent source of calcium. In fact, soymilk is fortified with the same amount of calcium as found in dairy milk. In addition, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, human studies have shown that the consumption of soy protein is associated with a markedly lower urinary excretion of calcium compared with the consumption of similar amounts of whey protein or a mixture of animal proteins. And, unlike dairy milk, soymilk contains no cholesterol or saturated fat. According to a representative of Dean Foods, the largest distributor of dairy milk and soymilk in the United States, dairy milk sales are flat, while soymilk sales are soaring. At Venice High School, a LAUSD LEAF Pilot Site, soymilk sales surpassed dairy milk sales within a few weeks of its introduction. Soymilk is affordable, has a shelf life of over eighty days, and is available in plain, vanilla, and chocolate. It can easily be ordered and stocked in quantities appropriate to demand
#8) "Instructs the Superintendent to provide a salad and fruit bar at all High Schools within 2 years, at all Middle Schools within 4 years, and at all Elementary Schools within 6 years." *LAUSD Nutritional Services says kids are making each other ill by touching the food in the salad bars."
We Say:
Expand Fruit and Salad Bars to All Schools:
According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, less than 15% of elementary school-aged children nationwide eat the recommended five or more servings of fruit and vegetables daily. To the best of my knowledge, there has never been a case of a food borne illness spread through Venice High School's fruit and salad bar. Neighboring districts, such as Santa Monica Unified, have not only incorporated salad bars into their schools, they have successfully integrated their local farmers' market into their salad bar program. Studies have repeatedly shown that an increased consumption of fruits and vegetables lowers the likelihood of childhood obesity.
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