K-State’s Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics hosted its 41st Grace M. Shugart Lecture on Thursday, April 16, which featured director of Food and Nutrition Services for the Fairfax County, Va. public schools Penny McConnell as the guest speaker.
McConnell’s presentation, titled “Navigating the Seas of Change,” focused on the constantly evolving state of public school nutrition in the U.S. and the challenges nutritionists face meeting those needs.
“Your big challenge is convincing some of the parents that your meals are healthy,” McConnell said. “They have a concept that ‘No, it might be processed.’ People don’t even realize that washing and slicing an apple is ‘processing.'”
Another common problem, of course, stems from funding and the way budget affects the types of foods schools are able to provide to children.
“[Parents] tend to think that it’s not of nutritional value and that it should only be fresh,” she said. “Well, we’ve got a bottom line we have to face, and then labor and benefits are very costly and impact your bottom line.”
Additionally, McConnell noted the difficulties more diverse populations face when creating school lunch plans, due to various cultural needs.
“I’ve also got to be very cognizant of the different cultures whether they eat pork, whether they’re vegetarians,” she said.
The National School Lunch Act is in the process of making several changes to its program, which will soon be announced in the 2015 re-authorization bill. However, the new stipulations may put added stress on certain school districts due to the needs of specific areas.
“Local districts have their preferences, and I think that’s the big issue with the re-authorization,” said McConnell. “Many directors are asking for flexibility so it can be more reflective of what their culture in that immediate community is.”
National requirements aside, McConnell maintained one of the most important elements of her job is promoting healthy eating to youngsters in the school system.
“I’m a believer that you offer and teach children to make healthy choices rather than mandating choices,” she said. “We do a lot of promoting with our youngsters about fruits and vegetables in our ‘Give Me Five Colors That Jive,’ sort of making it exciting to try new fruits and vegetables.”
