On the ISM Business Manager listserv last month, a few subscribers shared thoughts about sustainable lunch programs. This healthy trend is starting to pick up momentum, and so for all our readers who are equally curious about how to add local food alternatives to their lunch menu without stretching their budgets into the red, we’ve done some research for you.
Interesting Supporting Facts for Choosing Organic Alternatives:
- There is a difference between natural and organic! Neither the FDA nor the USDA regulates products labeled "natural". Food manufacturers can put a “natural” label on food products containing heavily processed ingredients.
- Organic is the most heavily regulated food system. Organic guarantees no use of synthetic pesticides, synthetic herbicides, chemical NPK fertilizers, antibiotics, or growth hormones.
- Choosing organic foods supports sustainable agricultural management systems that protect farmers, promote health and fertility, foster species diversity, and help prevent damage to water resources.
- The EPA permits pesticide residues to remain on food—these are called “tolerances.”
- Studies show children who were exposed to chemicals in utero appear to have lower IQs than their peers who were not exposed to certain pesticides.
- Studies have found a corresponding link between exposure to synthetic hormones and the number of breast and prostate cancer cases.
- Both Canada and the European Union have banned the use of the synthetic growth hormone rBGH in dairy cattle based on health effects in cows as well as the potential health risks for humans consuming the resulting milk. This is a common chemical used in the states.
- Obesity is a growing concern for school-aged children—roughly one-third of American children are overweight.
- Organic alternatives may help fight back against the childhood obesity epidemic.
- Schools have the unique opportunity to change eating habits for today’s youth.
Resources Worth Exploring:
- The Community Food Security Coalition has done a wonderful job of posting resources, case studies, possible funding sources, and listservs on their Web site. This site encourages programs initiated from both the top down (administrators to parents and farmers) and from the bottom up, and provides the tools for either scenario. For those of you who absorb information best through lecture and presentation, here is a link to their events page.
- The National Farm to School Network Web site is dedicated to connecting schools to local farming programs through training, information services, networking, and support in policy and media marketing activities. According to their Web site, there are 2,352 estimated Farm to School programs in the United States, and 9,756 schools involved. You’ll find Webinars, publications, events, and social media resources on this site to help you initiate a program for your campus.
- Farm to Fork: The Benefits of Sustainable Eating. Presented by Duke University, this 42-minute video discusses the benefits of eating local foods.
- Center for Ecoliteracy: Rethinking School Lunch Guide. This downloadable publication (PDF) covers everything from wellness programs to teaching and learning about sustainable eating, to budget planning, to waste management for schools.
