"Giving our kids the healthy futures they deserve," that's what President Obama is saying the newly signed school lunch bill will do. The law won't go into effect until 2013, but LISD administrators say Lubbock is already ahead of the curve.
Executive Director of Purchasing, Traci Robertson said LISD started to phase in the state's school lunch policy about six years ago.
"I suspect we're not going to see a lot of change because of the Texas Public School Nutrition Policy that we already follow," Robertson said.
There are some loop holes. High school students do have the freedom to choose less nutritional places to eat. But, Robertson said, as long as they're eating at school, they're eating healthy.
"All items that are sold on our lunch line, even your a la carte items are restricted by the policy guidelines so that the fat and the sodium, all the nutritional value is based on the policy," Robertson said.
Pat Kerin, with Aramark Food Services said LISD has recently implemented a nutritional education program.
"We offer fresh fruits and vegetables every single day. Whole grain pastas, whole grain breads, we don't serve anymore white bread, everything is all whole grains," Kerin said.
That means things like whole wheat pizza, chicken nuggets that are baked instead of fried, and low fat milk.
Supplying healthier foods has not come cheaply for the school district. That's one thing that will change with the passing of the school lunch bill. A federal reimbursement of six cents per school lunch will come to the district.
"The six cents is going to be an added boost for us because we have been following an unfunded mandate for six years," Robertson said.
To give you an idea of the cost, Kerin said serving fresh vegetables instead of canned can cost two, even three times more.
"It's going to afford us the opportunity to have a little bit more money to incorporate some of those things," Kerin said.
This bill stems from Michele Obama's "Let's Move" initiative to combat childhood obesity in the U.S.
