M-DCPS' SCHOOL LUNCH MENU EARNS B+, 2ND PLACE AMONG NATION'S LARGEST SCHOOL SYSTEMS

Quality nutritional improvements helped district's score jump from 71 to 89

August 28, 2003

The Miami-Dade public schools' lunch program received a B+ grade to earn second place among the nation's 18 largest public school systems participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National School Lunch Program, according to a report by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).

This year, PCRM graded lunches based on the presence of low-fat vegetable side dishes, fruit offerings, meatless and vegan entrées and nondairy beverages sources of calcium, and whether or not the district elementary menus met the USDA nutrition guidelines.

M-DCPS earned points for huge improvements in the nutritional quality of its elementary lunch menus, specifically offering daily options of low-fat vegetable side dishes and a variety of fresh fruits. Meatless entrées are featured on a near daily basis, and vegan entrées appear twice a week on the menu. This school year, M-DCPS also will offer calcium-fortified juices and is looking into offering calcium-fortified soy milk.

Also receiving worthy mention is M-DCPS' "Eat Your Colors Every Day" pilot program, which coupled with its elementary gardening program, encourages students to appreciate healthy fruits and vegetables. M-DCPS serves a quarter million meals and snacks daily.

Established in 1946 to reduce malnutrition caused food shortages, the USDA's lunch program now operates in nearly 100,000 schools and serves almost 27 million lunches a day.

For further information about this report, visit the PCRM website at www.pcrm.org.

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