12.12.2012 LAUSD’s Board of Education unanimously votes to adopt the “Improving Food and Nutrition Policy,” a policy introduced by Board Member Zimmer and Board President Mónica GarcÃa.
Adoption of this far-reaching policy is yet another demonstration of the Board’s commitment to ensuring that every student has access to a nutritious meal and healthy school environment. It guarantees that each student will benefit from the same high-quality program across all schools and includes several changes that students will notice over the coming year, such as:
- improvements in the presentation and appeal of school meals,
- adequate time to eat a school meal – at least 20 minutes,
- integration of nutrition education into the curriculum – linking what is taught in the classroom to what is served in the cafeteria, and
- a strong collaboration with the County Department of Public Health to increase innovative practices, such as use of salad bars & school garden produce in the cafeteria.
The policy faced no opposition and was hugely supported by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health; Healthy School Food Coalition; California Food Policy Advocates; American Heart Association; Dr. Wendy Slusser with the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities; the Healthy School Partnership at Hollywood High School, and Alliance for a Better Community.
This is a major milestone for the district – one that takes us one step closer to overcoming childhood obesity in Los Angeles County by giving our students the knowledge to develop and practice life-long healthy eating habits.
As the policy requires future Board action, we look forward to continue collaborating with the Board and Food Service Division to meet the vision of the policy.
Read LA Times article, “Expanding young students’ role in nutrition.” PDF
For more information, please contact Ariana Oliva at 213-482-8200.
