School cafeteria food doesn’t have the best reputation among students in California. Some complain that it is tasteless, that it repetitive, that it, basically, stinks.

Also, child nutrition advocates have long requested that school lunches be more nutritious, more well-balanced, and more “green.”

Today that is changing in California school cafeterias. Parents need to know that schools are making dramatic changes in their school lunch programs.

One of the districts that has been implementing major changes on its menus is the Escondido Union High School District.

What the district is doing is revolutionizing school cafeterias and this is something that matters to students’ academic success and well-being.

The person behind the school cafeteria revolution in Escondido is Pamela Lambert, the district’s nutrition services director.

She was recently selected as a “Health Happens Hero” by The California Endowment, a non-profit that promotes health access to communities across the state.

“During National School Lunch Week, we honor champions who understand that healthy meals lead to healthy kids and improved performance in the classroom. These are true heroes, proving every day that California schools can serve their students delicious, nutritious, and reasonably priced school meals. They are the reason we say, ‘Health Happens in Schools,’” said Dr. Robert K. Ross, president & CEO of The California Endowment.

In late October, New America Media, an association of ethnic media outlets, and The California Endowment had a media briefing where a panel of nutrition experts, including Lambert, discussed the changes happening in school cafeterias.

“This school year new standards governing the nutrition level of food served in the nation’s schools went into effect under the 2010 Health, Hunger-Free Kids Act,” according to New America Media.

“The Escondido event was the sixth of a state wide series (of seven events) aimed at connecting media to education and nutrition experts as well as students and parents, and address the significant, innovative changes California public schools are making to provide their students healthier meals,” according to Suzanne Manneh, with New America Media.

Lambert was honored for demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of “scratch” cooking.

“It’s a fact: serving fresh, healthy meals saves schools money. It reduces costs and results in a healthier, better-tasting product for our students,” she said.

The new guidelines for school nutrition include:

· Increased produce options, ensuring that students receive both fruits and vegetables every day of the week;
· A ban on unhealthy trans fats;
· Portion size guidelines and calorie limits based on the age of children served;
· Increased emphasis on whole grain products;
· Limits on the types of milk served, with an emphasis on low-fat (1%) and non-fat varieties; and
· Reductions in sodium levels to be phased in over several years.