Sept. 03--OTTUMWA -- Kids are eating healthier, but that doesn't mean they're happier.
The Ottumwa school district, as well as all Iowa school districts, are now complying with two separate laws, one state, the other federal. The laws regulate what foods can be served during the day and how much of it per meal.
"Iowa is one of the states that chose to take the national guidelines and make them more strict," said Yvonne Johnson, food service director for Ottumwa.
A few changes have either gone unnoticed or been popular.
Johnson said the average fat content for the week cannot exceed 30 percent. The district must include more fresh fruits and vegetables; any bread has to be whole grain (even chicken nuggets must use whole wheat breading), all milk served must be 1 percent or skim; and lettuce salad now contains romaine, spinach and other fresh vegetables.
"We've been getting a lot of positive feedback about the salad. But we're not getting [positive feedback] about the pizza," Johnson said.
At Evans Middle School, students are happier with the changes than they are at Ottumwa High School, said Superintendent Jon Sheldahl. He was visiting the lunch room there Thursday.
Even the healthiest food seems popular.
"It's good. See, I'm eating it," said Ilma Alfaro of her fruit cup and yogurt lunch.
Her dining companion was eating a salad.
"It's pretty good, and I can lose weight," said fellow student Kristel Juarez.
Students at Evans told the Courier they enjoyed their lunch.
"Maybe to get the whole picture, you should talk to some kids at the high school," Sheldahl said.
That's where, he and Johnson said, the changes in meals and snacks are most noticeable.
A couple of high school students said one of the biggest complaints among their peers was the missing restaurant pizza. It had been popular, they said.
"Very popular. Barely anyone gets the school lunch pizza. It's very bland," said C.J. Ray, an OHS junior.
Johnson likes the school lunch pizza. It meets all the USDA regulations with it's whole grain crust topped with low-fat cheese and a low-salt sauce. But she said she understands what students want.
"We're working on it," Johnson said. "We're working with local pizza companies, and they say they want to work with us to develop a pizza that both meets the guidelines we have to follow and is acceptable to the kids."
She said all "a la carte" items, those individual items purchased outside of the regular lunch line, must go through a "nutritional calculator" from the Department of Education.
So OHS no longer sells soda, cheese bread or candy. Instead, they sell "snack shack" items like fresh fruit, granola bars and baked snack chips.
"All the things we did like, they took it all out," said Kevin Lewis, an OHS senior. "It's rare [now] to find something you like in the lunch line."
Ray said he understands the need to feed school kids healthy food. But students who are active need some calories because they burn them off.
"People aren't getting overweight because of the one meal they [eat] at school," said Lewis. "It's [because] they're sitting [around] snacking all night."
Some students say they're leaving the OHS lunch room hungry.
Ray said he's relatively active and typically orders "doubles" when he goes through the lunch line. And that is enough for him, he said, though some friends have been disappointed.
"One of the kids at my table went up to get Pop-Tarts. Last year, there'd be two Pop-Tarts. He got one Pop-Tart."
"It's being done for the right reasons; it's just going to take some time and education as to why this is good for kids," said Johnson. "It's a challenge, but we are adding items every day."
She said she's working with food suppliers, telling them what her requirements are. Some say they've got nothing to fit those restrictions. There's others that have said they may be able to help.
"You'd be amazed. When I contacted my vendors, I said, 'Find me these things, here are my requirements,' and they've worked really hard."
She said she and other district staff do want students to enjoy their meals.
"You know, they are our customers, and we want our customers to be happy," Johnson said. "But we have guidelines we must follow."
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