Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week

Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week (CNEAW) is fast approaching and what will you do to recognize your favorite child nutrition professionals?

Preparing healthy school meals, role modeling healthy eating habits and offering a friendly greeting are all in a day’s work for Idaho’s USDA child nutrition employees. The non-profit School Nutrition Association celebrates this professional commitment with Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week, May 5 – 9, 2008. The week is an opportunity for parents, students, school staff and communities to thank those who provide healthy school meals to more than 30 million children throughout the country each school day.

School nutrition employees must balance many roles and follow numerous federal, state and local regulations to ensure safe and healthy meals are available in schools. They are trained sanitation and food safety experts and must manage financially self-sufficient programs. They use their creativity to make the cafeteria a fun and welcoming place all year long and perform their jobs each day because they care passionately about the children they serve.

The importance and nutritional value of school meals are well documented. For many children, school lunch is the most important and nutrient-rich meal of their day. Children depend upon school lunch for 1/3 to 1/2 of their daily nutritional intake. The U.S. Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, found that "school meals are healthy and children who eat school meals consume more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy items than children who do not eat school meals."

In a 2007 Trend study, school nutrition professionals provided specific examples of common improvements made to school meals this school year. Among the most popular responses were:

Reducing/limiting trans fat content (74%)
Limiting fat content of a la carte/vending items (73%)
Increasing availability of healthier beverages in vending machines (81%)
Increasing availability of fresh fruits/vegetables on a la carte lines and/or vending machines (69%)

Additionally, policy development has in areas such as wellness improved in nearly every area from past years, including the percentage of districts with a policy that limits the fat content of a la carte and/or vending items rising to 73% from 38% in 2004.

Please join me in thanking our Idaho Child Nutrition Employees for a job well done.


Tom Luna, Superintendent of Public Instruction