Potpourri: School Food News Roundup

Kids have started lobbying the D.C. Council in favor of healthier meals.

Students involved in the Washington Youth Garden's Garden Science project have written letters in support of the Healthy Schools Act pending before the D.C. Council. See the report--with photos of the letters--on the WYG blog.

Hearings on the Healthy Schools Act are scheduled for March 26. You can testify. Just register by e-mail: ABenjamin@DCCOUNCIL.US.

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Schools in Pittsburgh are teaching kids how to make healthful meals using a curriculum called "Food is Elementary." Teachers learn how to use the curriculum, which sometimes results in more fresh produce and whole grains being served in school cafeterias.

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USA recently ran a series of articles questioning the safety of food served in school cafeterias. Many school kitchens are never inspected. Students are threatened with tainted meat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has vowed to put tighter rules for school food in place.

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GOOD.is, the online magazine, recently asked readers to make a healthy school lunch and send in photos. Here are the five winners.

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Finally, a new study from Michigan State University finds that farm to school programs have a positive influence on school food service workers and help improve student meals in several ways.