WASHINGTON 鈥� Parents may be familiar with the challenge of getting their kids to eat healthy, but imagine getting up to 150,000 kids to eat what鈥檚 on their plates. That鈥檚 what some Maryland school systems are tasked with every day, and a Maryland organization has rated the state鈥檚 school systems on their offerings.
The findings from : Howard County comes out on top, earning an A+ for promoting fresh food that鈥檚 popular — a school spokesman says the kids come back for seconds. Frederick County was ranked third with a B+, and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties came in at the middle of the pack with Cs.
Lindsay Parsons, coordinator of the Healthy School Food Maryland coalition, says Howard County鈥檚 schools have made sure that kids from elementary through high schools have salad bars that include fresh fruits and vegetables. 鈥淭hey also have a very strong policy keeping soda out of vending machines at all hours,” she said.
Parsons explains other school systems, such as Montgomery County, turn off vending machines that sell soda during the school day. But at a certain period after the end of the school day, the machines are turned on, and kids staying for extracurricular activities or attending after-school events can access sugary drinks.
John White, spokesman for the Howard County school system, says schools have made a concerted effort to provide healthy food, 鈥渂ut also choices that students like.鈥� White says the food service division has frequent taste tests by the toughest food critics: the kids themselves.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e asking students whether they like something that you鈥檙e developing in advance, you can learn what their tastes are,鈥� he said. White says a Horizon Foundation grant helped get the fresh vegetable and fruit salad bars established.
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