August 14, 2012
(CNSNews.com) - The effort to promote healthy eating at school has spawned student "Fruit and Vegetable Ambassadors," who are supposed to spread enthusiasm for healthy eating among their fellow students.
Students in the summer food service program at Slater Junior High School in Pawtucket, R.I. spent some of their time learning about malangas and chocolate peppers -- exotic vegetables that were part of a recent taste-testing, the Agriculture Department said in a blog posted on its website.
The newly designated fruit and vegetable ambassadors -- along with the "prestigious title" -- got "cool t-shirts and, most importantly, the responsibility of encouraging fellow students throughout the school year to make healthier decisions at lunchtime," the blog said.
During their government-subsidized mealtimes, the students brainstormed on fun ways to "get their peers excited about eating fruits and vegetables." The ideas include taste-testings, a fruit and vegetable eating contest, a cafeteria remodel, and creating rap songs abaout healthy eating to be aired during morning announcements.
The blog notes that a local Rhode Island farmer attended the summer food program at Slater to "educate the students about the benefits of eating local fruits and vegetables." That farmer has contracted with the Pawtucket School Distrit to deliver fresh produce throughout the school year as part of the Obama administration's "Farm to School" project.
"In fact," the blog notes, "the farm has just finished planting hundreds of heads of romaine lettuce specifically for Pawtucket Schools, which the students will get to enjoy in September."
Pawtucket schools have all received recognition from the "HealthierUS School Challenge," which now falls under First Lady Michelle Obama’s "Let’s Move!" initiative.
During the 2012-13 school year, the USDA plans to conduct a nationwide census of farm-to-school programs, asking schools to detail their local food purchases, aside from produce. "We look forward to sharing additional updates as we continue to help food producers of all kinds enter the school food market," the announcement said.
A study of food purchases in the 2009-2010 school year showed that about 2 out of every 10 school districts surveyed purchased local produce for school meals. An additional 12 percent indicated that they are in the process of developing a program for buying locally grown produce.
When asked how they define “locally grown,” 29 percent of respondents (the largest group) said "local" meant produced within the state.
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