Mason Teeters has his eye on papaya.
The Omaha sixth-grader has sampled fresh fruits and veggies as part of a new school nutrition program, and he already has some ideas for mom and dad.
"I told them we should buy some exotic fruits," said Mason, who attends Western Hills Magnet Center.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are popping up at 28 Nebraska schools as part of a new federal nutrition program.
The program, which includes Iowa, provides low-income students with fruits and vegetables during the school day, in addition to what they get at breakfast and lunch at school.
The program is aimed at getting kids to select healthier snacks -- think olives instead of Oreos -- to help fight childhood obesity.
The initiative also exposes children to a variety of fruits and vegetables, including some they may have never tasted, such as figs, radishes and turnips. The thinking is that a student might run from a plate of peas but could end up loving zucchini.
Many children don't get enough fruits and vegetables, and low-income students in particular are more likely to miss out on those foods at home because of the cost, said Bev Benes, director of nutrition services for the Nebraska Department of Education.
Benes said the tight economy and high grocery prices make the federal program even more important. Thirty-seven percent of Nebraska students were eligible for free- or reduced-price meals in 2007.
The program requires participating elementary schools to provide the fruits and vegetables outside regular cafeteria meals. Teachers might hand out bananas during math class or cucumber slices in the hallway.
At Western Hills Elementary, 6523 Western Ave., students tried muskmelon and yellow watermelon earlier this fall on the playground and voted on their favorite. Watermelon won in a landslide.
Mason loved the yellow watermelon -- mainly because it tasted a lot like the regular kind he has always enjoyed.
Students at Omaha's Walnut Hill Elementary, 4370 Hamilton St., sampled Golden Delicious apples and three other varieties Tuesday to launch the program.
The federal program started as a pilot effort in 2002 with four states.
It has expanded several times, and this year schools in all states participate, with $40 million in federal funding. Schools in Lincoln, Hastings, Lexington and Gering, Neb., are among those taking part.
Thirty-nine schools in Iowa, including some in Council Bluffs, participate.
--Contact the writer: 444-1122, michael.oconnor@owh.com To see more of the Omaha World-Herald, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.omaha.com. Copyright (c) 2008, Omaha World-Herald, Neb. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
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