Nature's One: Youth Will Benefit from Improved National Nutrition Standards with 50% of Student's Calories Consumed at School

NEW YORK, NY, August 30, 2012 (Press-News.org) The nutritional value of school lunches has been spotlighted by the relatively recent efforts of First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to improve the health of today's youth. By reforming the standards against which school lunches are held, supporters of Mrs. Obama and Secretary Vilsack believe that students will have access to healthier food choices and build better dietary habits. Nature's One, a leader in the organic pediatric nutrition industry, agrees that improving school lunch standards will enhance the nutritional intake of students across the country.

A new report developed by the Kids' Safe & Healthful Foods Project and the Health Impact Project sheds light on the benefits that improved standards would create. An article in The Huffington Post asserts that these heightened nutritional guidelines "would reduce consumption of these products [snack foods and beverages] during the school day. Additionally, due to the fact that children consume half of their daily calories at school, new guidelines--when implemented--would have a positive impact on student weight."

Another study, which was completed in 2006, confirms the benefits of improved nutritional guidelines by highlighting the negative impact school meals have had on students--the article asserts that the study reports a surge in obesity in students from 1988 to 2002, which researchers have concluded could have been prevented by a reduction in calories in school meals.

But the implementation of more stringent guidelines will benefit more than the health of the students--it can benefit the financial well-being of the schools. Neal Wallace, a professor at Portland State University, explains, "School districts on average experienced an increase in food-service revenues after the implementation of standards for snack foods and beverages--even when controlling for factors such as the economic downturn, population size, demographics, and poverty levels. The increases in food service revenues were found to offset any losses in sales of competitive foods, leaving overall food-related revenues virtually unchanged."

"The health of our nation's students is in crisis," says Nature's One CEO Jay Highman. "We have an epidemic of school-aged kids suffering from obesity and other related diseases It doesn't take a nutrition degree to recognize the serious dietary flaws that currently exist in the school breakfast and lunch programs. Many of today's kids will eat pretty much anything that's put in front of them, as long as it tastes good. Learning that our kids are consuming 50% of their calories at school is absolutely alarming. Obviously, our children are learning the majority of their eating habits during their school years, so improving the national nutritional standards is critical. We absolutely must take advantage of this opportunity to help teach our kids good eating habits before it's too late."

Nature's One hopes that future nutritional improvements in school lunches and other food items offered by educational facilities increase student health, and that school districts commit to preventing obesity and the complications that it can cause.

ABOUT:

Founded in 1997, Nature's One is a leader in the organic pediatric nutrition industry. Highly regarded for its Baby's Only Organic Formulas, Baby's Only Essentials Supplements, PediaSmart Organic Complete Nutrition Beverages, and PediaVance Organic Electrolyte Solution brands, Nature's One has spent over 15 years dedicating its resources to the research, development, and production of high quality nutritional solutions for infants and children.