School Lunch Needs a New Recipe

If you’ve been to any public school cafeteria lately, you’d know that despite the national discussion about childhood obesity, you’ll still find pepperoni pizza, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, tater tots and a host of unhealthy foods on the menu. Schools often complain that when they provide healthier foods students either don’t want it on their lunch tray, or else they pick it up but don’t actually eat it. The Washington Post reports on an interesting phenomenon that could up the amount of healthy food kids eat: ask them if they want it. This health column describes a new study that found if cafeteria staff asked students if they wanted fruit, for example, more students took them up on the offer and actually ate it. The column also looks at schools that have decided to offer healthier food, despite grumbling from students.