Early food experiences are critical in shaping children's food preferences, according to the American School Food Service Association's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. It may take as many as 10 exposures to a new food before children will accept it, the center advises. At the high school level, Doetterl displayed the featured fruit or vegetable, and recipes for how they could be used, at the serving line. She said response was limited among the older students, so she's trying a new approach in the middle and high schools. Starting this month, she's using an Oscars theme and is offering prizes to students who correctly answer questionnaires on the back of the monthly menu.
Students have to go through the cafeteria serving line to turn in their entries.
The battle against the burgers Today's children are accustomed to being able to choose what they eat. Pizza, burgers and fries compete with traditional meat, potato and vegetable meals. And outside of school, soda and flavored drinks are taking the place of milk. Students are consuming nearly 30 pounds more sugar each year than they did 10 years ago. According to data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the number of overweight Americans increased from 25 to 33 percent between 1980 and 1991.