How healthy are the lunches prepared for Georgia’s public-school students?
They’re near the healthiest in the nation, according to new survey.
Georgia ranked seventh in the report prepared by ProCare Therapy, an organization founded in 1997 to provide resources for school-based therapy. Massachusetts ranked first and Louisiana ranked last. The rankings were based on categories such as meals served in adherence to federal nutrition guidelines and a program through which schools buy and feature locally produced, farm-fresh foods. The rankings also looked at which each state is doing to reduce added sugars and efforts to include fresh fruits and vegetables in school meals.
The report was released to coincide with World Food Day on Wednesday. World Food Day aims to increase efforts to ensure all people have access to diverse, nutritious and safe foods.
ProCare Therapy said healthy school lunches are important amid the national rise in childhood obesity. They also said research shows a strong link between nutrition and academic performance.
“Access to nutritious and appealing school lunches is crucial for the health and academic success of our nation’s children,” ProCare Therapy Senior Vice President Stephanie Morris said in a news release. “This report serves to recognize the states that are leading the charge in offering high-quality, healthy meals to their students, and to encourage other states to follow suit.”
The University of Georgia released a study earlier this year that found the diet quality of children — particularly in lower-income households — improved when they ate school-prepared lunches following the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act nutritional guidelines instead of home-prepared lunches.
Georgia students still enjoy meals that don’t exactly qualify as healthy or farm-to-table. The report found their most popular lunch item is pizza.
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