Healthier back to school lunches

AUSTIN - Cheeseburgers, pizza, and tacos. Those are just some of the items on Georgetown Independent School District's lunch menu.

While it sounds unhealthy, there are tweaks being made behind the scenes to improve the food at Georgetown schools.

"We show the students they can take a pizza, put it on a whole grain crust, and offer low fat cheeses, and lots of vegetables and make it healthier" said Karen Kovach of GISD Director of Nutrition Services.

The menu is changing to lower-fat items, and whole grains.

"We tried to get whole grain hot dog buns for years. Last year was the first year we were able to get it, and that's nice because the manufacturers realize that's what we're asking for," said Kovach.

The Nutrition Services Director is proud of the food program the districts constantly improving.
"I think most of them don't even notice," said Joy Adams, Cafeteria Manager for Annie Purl Elementary.

Last week, Joy Adams joined other cafeteria employees for orientation. Many have been here long enough to see stricter state and federal nutrition guideline changes firsthand.

"The obesity is skyrocketing and we're looking for ways to get that obesity under control and were trying to do it thru teaching children how to eat," said Georgetown High School Cafeteria Manager Patti Calutte.

Michelle Obama recently launched a campaign to push Congress to pass a bill - calling for less fat and salt in the lunch line while adding more fruits, veggies and whole grains. Eliminating vending machine junk food is also part of the plan.
Georgetown is trying to stay one step ahead.

"We've gotten a lot of item this year that are less sodium, including our cheese which are nice. They're 25-percent less sodium," said Kovach.

An added benefit - for students at Georgetown can have an unlimited amount of fruits or vegetables at no extra cost. While the Georgetown ISD says it is more expensive to offer healthier items, it will pay off in the long term.