By Denise Miller
Of the Journal
Mornings are hectic at my house. The kids are eating breakfast, coffee is brewing, my middle-school daughter is preparing her lunch, and I’m usually tripping over someone to make lunch for the boys.
My kids rarely buy lunch, so I am lucky enough to know most of what they will eat each day. Lunches aren’t fancy — lots of peanut butter, local raspberry jam, whole grain bread, sliced turkey, carrots, apples and dinner leftovers.
But in New Mexico, where 218,000 children are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, sending a brown bag isn’t always an option, according to the fiscal impact statement for the Senate bill SB107 seeking $1.44 million for more produce for school lunches.
The challenge for school food-service directors is to provide a balanced meal when, after expenses, they are left with $1 per meal, and 30 cents of that is spent on milk, according to the fiscal report on SB107.
New Mexico, like most other states, doesn’t spend a penny on school lunch, according to Mary Ann McCann, school nutrition coordinator for Taos Municipal Schools, and Corrine Lovato, retired state director of school nutrition. State budget allocations only assist with school breakfast.
In 2007, $85,000 was set aside under the Valley Cluster program to give 6,000 Albuquerque Public Schools students two more servings of fruits and vegetables — locally grown when available.
Eight school districts are serving New Mexico-grown produce to 165,000 children statewide, according to the fiscal impact report for a bill before the House of Representatives to fund an increase in the amount of state produce in schools.
The proposed program would more than double that existing fruit and vegetable provision.
Mind-numbing statistics about obesity in today’s youths and the related health risks of diabetes and heart disease are easy to find. More fruits and vegetables can help combat the potential health epidemic our country may face.
Worried about our cash-strapped economy? Remember the current economic costs of health care related to obesity and diabetes in New Mexico are estimated to be $324 million and $876 million, respectively, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Diabetes Association.
Rep. Rhonda King, D-Santa Fe, introduced HB386 seeking $3.3 million to buy New Mexico grown fruits and vegetables for school lunches. A second, similar House bill also has been introduced.
Sen. Pete Campos, D-Las Vegas, is sponsoring a similar bill, SB107, seeking $1.44 million.
An interim committee of Health and Human Services has designated the issue a priority. The New Mexico Department of Agriculture has supported farm-to-school programs for years.
We all know it’s going to be a tough year or two at the Legislature.
But when it comes to the health of our kids and our economy, perhaps the real question is whether we can afford not to fund the bill.
So here’s a recipe for a healthy school lunch:
~ One dedicated cadre of school food-service personnel;
~ One committed partner at the New Mexico Department of Agriculture;
~ One large helping of New Mexico farmers eager to have their produce consumed by school kids;
~ An informed, vocal public that tells legislators they want them to support the bills to add New Mexico produce to school lunches;
~ A passing vote on the bills at the Legislature and the governor’s signature.
We have most ingredients. With everyone’s support, we will have all of them. The value of this recipe is priceless.