Statement of

Tami J. Cline, R.D.
American School Food Service Association

before the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
United States Senate

March 4, 1997

Mr. Chairman, Senator Harkin and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today and for your support of child nutrition programs. I am Tami Cline, Director of Nutrition and Education for the American School Food Service Association. I am a registered dietitian with over 10 years of experience operating school foodservice programs in Massachusetts.

From its humble beginnings just over one-half century ago, school foodservice programs have grown to include over 94,000 public and private schools with a captive audience of 51 million children and young adults. With this growth has come many changes. Today's schools, students and school meals bear little resemblance to their predecessors of 50 years ago. Menu planning and meal preparation have evolved to adapt to the needs of both changing schools and the changing demands of students.

School foodservice is big business! It is the third largest noncommercial foodservice market. This year schools will purchase well over four billion dollars worth of food and beverages from American companies and employ local residents in every community across the country.

One of the driving forces of change in school foodservice is the change in U.S. schools and districts. A slow but steady consolidation of school districts coupled with expanding enrollment rates have resulted in larger school systems, and a more centralized core of customers. School foodservice directors have taken advantage of this consolidation and are operating more efficient programs than ever before.

As schools have expanded their recreational and educational activities outside normal school hours, foodservice operations have expanded to supply meals to this new audience. After-school snacks and meals for the elderly have become increasingly popular and are often prepared by school foodservice personnel with little additional labor costs.

One of the most important changes in the past 50 years is the increasing sophistication of our students as customers. Children today do more of their own purchasing than ever before. Raised in a society with fast-food restaurants on every corner and food courts in every shopping mall, students demand variety and choice when making their food purchases. School foodservice operations have met this challenge in a variety of ways. Most schools now offer expanded menus including numerous choices of entrees and side dishes. Increasingly, schools are also adding ethnic, lower fat and lower sodium foods to their menu. And, with students always on the run, schools have initiated additional delivery systems such as "grab-n-go" bagged meals and food carts strategically located throughout the school.

Though for years many schools have been serving meals that meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, new USDA regulations and the passage of the Healthy Meals for Healthy Americans Act have brought that challenge to the forefront for all schools. We are very proud to report that, through training and technical assistance, school nutrition programs have made great strides in meeting this goal.

There are even some state-wide initiatives to assist schools in this endeavor. Minnesota is helping schools use The Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health, known as the CATCH project. And, California is using the Shaping Health as Partners in Education, known as California SHAPE program. These programs have been successful because they focus beyond just providing healthy schools meals, to actually changing students' interaction with food in every setting, even when they are at home or out with friends.

The school foodservice side of the CATCH project operates within the larger student health program. And California SHAPE develops teams of school foodservice staff, teachers, administrators, family and the community to provide a consistent, positive nutrition message in school nutrition programs, classrooms, and throughout the community.

These are only two examples of the good work going on in school districts across the country. Because of new flexibility in menu planning provided by this Committee last year, individual schools can choose a menu planning option that fits their budgets and their children's needs. Some use computer nutrient analysis, others a new food-based menu-planning system developed by USDA, and still others have developed their own planning system based on the Food Guide Pyramid to ensure their meals are meeting the goals of the Dietary Guidelines and the Recommended Dietary Allowances for key nutrients.

As you can see, the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program are moving ahead to achieve a new dimension of nutrition accountability while addressing the complex demands of today's changing school environment.

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to testify. Healthy, well- educated children are the future of this nation. Their educational success will have a direct impact on the productivity of America's workforce, her standard of living and her ability to compete. And, school nutrition programs are helping them meet the challenges of school and work toward a better and brighter future.