Mississippi Is Number 3 In A Good Way ----

School lunches in Mississippi ranked No. 3 in nation
By Megan Hollandmholland@vicksburgpost.com
Published:Wednesday, October 1, 2008 12:03 PM CDT

Mississippi has been ranked No. 3 in the nation when it comes to the healthfulness of school lunches, and an official with the Vicksburg Warren School District says the accolade is well-deserved.“It’s the result of lots of hard work,” said VWSD child nutritionist Gail Kavanaugh. “We are last when it comes to obesity, but we are third when it comes to combating obesity — and I think that says a lot about the effort being put forward.”On the Center for Science in the Public Interest’s 2007 School Food Report Card, Mississippi and six other states, including Arkansas and Alabama, received a B+. No states received an A; two received an A-; 21 states fell in the B, C and D range, including Louisiana, Texas and Florida, which all got a B-; and 20 received an F. Mississippi’s grade in 2006 was C.In obesity statistics, for the past three years, CalorieLab Inc. has ranked Mississippi the fattest state in the nation. In 2007, Mississippi’s obesity rate was 32.6 percent. Coming in second on the CalorieLab report was West Virginia, followed by Alabama and Louisiana.The CSPI’s goal is to “help reduce the illnesses, disabilities, deaths and high health-care costs caused by diet and inactivity related diseases and conditions such as heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.”When ranking states on the Food Report Card, the CSPI looks at beverage nutrition standards, food nutrition standards, grade levels to which health policies apply, the times during the school day to which health policies apply and locations on campus to which health policies apply in each public school system.“The grade we were given represents how they feel Mississippi’s approach to health has been through the legislature and extra step
OnlineCenter for Science in the Public Interest’s 2007 School Food Report Card: www.cspinet.org/2007schoolreport.pdf.we have taken,” Kavanaugh said. “They know obesity is an issue here and they chose to recognize us for our efforts in fighting that. I feel very good about the state of Mississippi and the progress we have made.”VWSD Superintendent Dr. James Price said he is pleased with Mississippi’s grade on the Food Report Card.“We have one of the best child nutritionists in the nation,” said Price of Kavanaugh. “People from all over the country call her out to do presentations on healthier lifestyles. Everybody has worked hard and it’s showing.”In Mississippi, from one hour before the start of any meal services period until the end of the last meal period, no food or beverages can be sold outside of those provided by school food services. And, school food services can serve only foods that are within federal meal patterns plus foods necessary to meet the caloric requirement of the age group being served.“We’re not only educating our students on how to live and eat healthy, we’re also educating teachers and administrators — as well as parents,” said Kavanaugh. “Teachers incorporate health education into the classrooms. It has become an important part of the curriculum.”The VWSD is in the process of establishing school health councils that will monitor food and physical activity. Each school will have its own council of which parents, students, teachers, principals, health-care providers, community leaders, government officials, media and law enforcement officers will be part.“We realize not everyone will be able to have all these people in their groups,” Kavanaugh said.In addition to food regulations, the Mississippi Department of Education requires 150 minutes of physical education each week for elementary and middle school students and, to graduate, two semesters of physical education for high school students.“We didn’t become the most obese state in the nation in just a few months or years, and we won’t fix it in just a few months or years,” said Kavanaugh. “It is going to take time, but we are on the right track.”