Lousy lunches
Cost, quality major factors in poor eating habits, school lunch head says
Ken Hopkins is not surprised by the results of a recent study that ranks schoolchildren in this province as having the unhealthiest eating habits at school.
As head of the School Lunch Association, he said the message about the importance of nutrition is being sent loud and clear, but sometimes not being heeded at home.
“We often might serve broccoli with lunches and we’ve had Grade 2 kids come up and ask, ‘What is that?’” Hopkins said. “Our staff could tell you stories that would make your head spin.
“We put a humungous effort into promoting healthy eating, but the reality of it is their (home) environment plays a big role in it.”
The study from the University of British Columbia found that while children ages 6 to 17 get one-third of their daily calories during school hours, they are not consuming the daily required products and key nutrients they need during that time, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
And of the nearly 5,000 students surveyed, kids in Newfoundland and Labrador rank at the bottom of the list. Children in Quebec scored the highest.
The School Lunch Association (www.schoollunch.ca) — a registered charity that provides hot, nutritious lunches for schoolchildren, regardless of a family’s financial situation — serves more than 5,400 homemade meals each day in 30 schools on the Eastern Avalon. The meals include fruit and vegetables.
However, Hopkins said some parents are still choosing to send their kids to school with sugary treats, salty snacks and packaged foods.
“Fifty per cent of parents are happy with what we serve. The other half complain it’s not kid friendly,” he said.
Hopkins said there are several factors that explain why this province’s eating habits are so unhealthy — the first being cost.
“Families are on a budget and it’s no secret healthy foods are more expensive,” he said.
Hopkins said the quality of produce here can often be subpar since, living on an island, much of it is trucked in from other parts of the country.
He said parents often stick to “the comfort foods.” He understands kids are picky eaters, but he said it’s important to expose them to nutritional foods at an early age.
Ashley Cahill of Bauline is glad she did just that.
A mother of two young children — Jackson, 6, and Rachel, 3 — she and her husband started serving healthy food to their children when they were babies, preparing their own baby food with fruits and vegetables.
“Now Jackson will often turn down a cookie for a piece of fruit,” said Cahill, who allows them sweet treats now and then. “Both of them love carrots, peppers, cucumbers too.
“It’s tough and it can be expensive to eat well, but it’s a small price to pay for your kids’ health.”