ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, August 22, 1996 TAG: 9608230016
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: N-11 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: BACK TO SCHOOL
SOURCE: BETSY BIESENBACH STAFF WRITER
Pity the poor school food-service directors. Their job is to feed a low-cost, low-fat, high-fiber, well-balanced, 600- to 800-calorie meal to people whose idea of fine cuisine consists of pizza, chicken nuggets, french fries and more of the same. They must do it while using high-fat government-subsidized foods such as butter, cheese and beef. They must break even financially, and many of them receive no support from their school boards.
To add to the difficulty, the federal government frequently changes its guidelines for subsidized meals.
This year, "meal patterns," or the amount of food from each food group a meal should have, have changed, said Tom Powers, director of food services for Roanoke schools.
Last year, students were offered eight servings of bread and grains each week. This year, it will go up to 12 servings for elementary school students and 15 for high school students. To do this, Powers said, the schools will serve more bread, pasta, and - here's the good news - cakes and other starchy desserts. The protein allowance will remain the same, he said, but fruits and vegetables will be increased.
Two years ago, Roanoke's two high schools eliminated what Powers calls "prison-style feeding" and installed food courts, which offer a variety of fast-food-type items that kids like.
The salad bar "can almost compete with Western Sizzlin'," he said.
This year, Powers said, the food courts will be expanded, and he has been talking with outside vendors, such as Taco Bell, about setting up shop in the schools.
Powers said his department will pay for the changes by streamlining its management.
Lunch prices for city students will stay the same this year. For high school and middle school students, lunch will cost $1.15. Elementary school students will pay $1.
Powers said that in the future, he hopes to be able to give the younger children "a lot more say-so in what they're going to eat."
Pauline Holloway, food service supervisor for Roanoke County schools, said she will work to meet new guidelines on fat, sugar and sodium content. Her cooks will use herbs and low-fat cheeses to flavor vegetables. They plan to drain and rinse the fat from cooked hamburger and to purchase low-sodium hot dogs.
The students shouldn't notice a difference, she said, because her staff has been gradually reducing fat over the past three years.
Lunch prices for Roanoke County students will be $1.10 for high school and middle school students, and $1 for elementary students.
"It's a real bargain," Holloway said. "It's a full meal for a dollar."
Holloway doesn't think her schools will be building food courts in the high schools any time soon.
"The pricing is higher than we can afford," she said.
Ron Wall, who oversees food service for Salem schools, said his cafeterias will offer oven-baked french fries and chicken nuggets in an effort to reduce fat. He hopes the students will eat them. "Kids still like deep-fried food," he said.
Wall also plans to offer more fresh fruit, even though it is more expensive than canned.
Like the other school systems, Salem has an "offer vs. serve" program, under which a child can have everything on the tray, or can choose three of five items from different food groups. This system has cut down on waste, Wall said.
He also plans to continue with the deli bars that were "really popular" in the high school and middle school last year.
High school and middle school students will pay $1.30 for lunch, and elementary school students will pay $1.20.
In Botetourt County, food service workers have been so busy getting the cafeteria at the new Read Mountain Middle School up and running that there hasn't been time for many other changes, said Larry Hall, who is supervisor of transportation, maintenance and food services. Like the other schools, Botetourt County will be working on making the meals more healthful.
Students want fast food, Hall said, but the schools are trying to stay away from it by offering more traditional foods instead. Rather than being planned by a central office, meals are chosen by the cafeteria staff and the principal of each school.
Meal prices have stayed the same this year, Hall said. Elementary students will pay 95 cents and high school and middle school students will pay $1.
Craig County schools will not only conform with the new nutritional guidelines, but the meal prices also will go up, said Kitty Keffer, who is in charge of food services for the county.
High schoolers and middle school students will pay $1.15, and elementary students will pay $1.05.
Like the other schools, Craig County's cafeteria offers a-la-carte items such as chips, ice cream, cakes and other treats, but Keffer said that even those foods must meet nutritional guidelines.
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