Fostering a nutritious culture

Is fundamental change afoot in school cafeterias in Maine? Meg Haskell of the Bangor Daily News today highlights an effort underway at Mount Desert Elementary School to improve student diets. At the Down East school, the effort involves students in food preparation. The Mount Desert initiative is an attempt at incorporating nutrition into curricula at the school. In fact, food service staff members from Down East schools met in Ellsworth in November to learn about linking breakfast and lunch offerings with classroom goings-on, Haskell reports. In the long term, these cafeteria endeavors could benefit students by instilling in them the value of eating well. The nutritious can be made to seem normal and desirable as a result. Other beneficiaries could include local farmers. Nutritious school lunch offerings are more commonly including items from local farms. The Maine Department of Education is working to connect schools with local farms, according to Haskell's article. The Wall Street Journal reported on "the burgeoning 'farm-to-school movement'" in August, highlighting a pilot program at Damariscotta's Great Salt Bay Community School that serves local crops at lunch. Across Maine, in September, schools participated in Harvest Lunch Week, when lunches included primarily locally grown ingredients. In the Augusta area, Maranacook Community Middle School in Readfield is one of 50 Maine schools receiving United States Department of Agriculture grant money to serve fresh fruits and vegetables to students each day for free. The fresh food is a hit with students, the Maranacook district reported in its November newsletter (opens a PDF).