Monday, January 11, 2010

"Good Food in the City"--Baltimore Public Schools

After opening the most recent issue of Educational Leadership, I took a look at the article, "Good Food in the City" by Anthony Geraci, Director of Food and Nutrition Services for Baltimore City Schools, Baltimore, Maryland. Instead of reviewing the entire article with citations and all that "official" stuff, here are some thoughts as I read through the article.

The best part about this program? They get the most out of it. A farm provides fresh fruit and vegetables and so much more, as I mention in more detail below. I think that this program in Baltimore should be a model used in other cities across the country. The other big plus from my end is that this program is aiming to change the perception of students in their school district while providing them with the tools, skills, and information needed to make healthy decisions. They don't just serve fresh food. At the risk of sounding cheesy, this isn't simply a food program: it's a movement!

  • This program guarantees that every school lunch served in Baltimore city schools will come with at least one piece of fresh fruit. This is only the beginning.
  • "Today, 'peach' more often refers to a flavor for candies and frozen desserts than to the actual food. That's what we need to change for kids in Baltimore and all over the United States." Don't get me started on high-fructose corn syrup. Yes, I do consume foods with HFCS, but not intentionally. My consumption is far lower than most people my age.
  • Geraci explains that in the 1970s, many school districts felt the need to operate in a similar fashion to the McDonald's corporation; not in the food they provide but in the way they operate their business and individual franchises. Scares about contaminated food led to frozen, ready-to-eat meals that also reduced labor costs. However, as he explains, "But with every level of convenience comes a level of the process that dilutes food to something unrecognizable." I'm sure we can all remember our first mystery meat experience. What exactly was that anyway?!
  • A major problem today has to do with the kitchen facilities in schools. The school I work in was renovated about five years ago. It's a stunning building, serving as the unofficial flagship school for our district. When the kitchens were designed, they set them for small prep work (for sandwiches, etc) and mainly for reheating and serving food from the freezer. So, how is a school without the facilities supposed to create fresh meals? Baltimore's schools faced this problem, with only 20 out of 200 schools with fully operational kitchens. Due to budget issues and the size of a lot of schools, simply renovating was out of the question. Their eventual goal for Baltimore is to create a central kitchen and many subkitchens that can create fresh made meals that can be delivered to schools without facilities. The example Geraci gives is the central kitchen making chicken the sub-kitchens can put into burritos or the beef for a stew, etc. More school districts should consider kitchen space when they design plans for a new school. Adequate meal preparation space and a wellness center for student/staff use would be great additions to any school!
  • As I mentioned in my last post, companies and organizations that decide to help public schools promote health and wellness are extremely important for districts without a lot of money. Baltimore was lucky enough to receive gifts worth a staggering $1.3 million from the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association: nine refrigerated trucks, milk coolers for all 200 schools, and a technology grant to help keep track of everything. Further proof that companies or organizations can, and will, help out their communities.
  • The Baltimore City Schools now contracts to obtain all of its fruits and vegetables locally.
  • A local supply program has numerous benefits! Less fuel for delivery and fewer man hours for manning those deliveries create cost savings. Because less fuel is used, fewer greenhouse emissions are created. Supporting local farmers contributes to the local economy. In Baltimore, a contract to supply only locally grown fruits and vegetables means over half a million dollars stays in state. I could go on and on!
  • Geraci and his colleagues knew that changing the perception of fruits and vegetables among students was not going to be easy, especially in urban areas filled with easily accessible fast food restaurants and convenience stores. So, he set out to see what the kids liked with a "No Thank You Bite" program in the elementary schools. This is based on an old mom's trick! Students were given a small cup (about a bite and a half of food) of different ingredients to try out. If they liked it, they could have more. If they didn't like it, they tried something else. Kids tracked what they liked and the more they tried, the better chances they had at winning prizes. A reward system works well for younger kids, especially when they are stepping out of their comfort zone in trying something new.
  • Geraci even combined forces with the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles for a separate breakfast program. A reward for participation was a breakfast with stars of either team; this also created a perfect opportunity for role-models to speak about the importance of good nutrition. Purchases of breakfast boxes ("containing 100% fruit juice; a carton of milk; and a whole-grain, high protein snack with no artificial colors or preservatives") increased from 8,500 to 35,000 in less than two months!
  • Baltimore also created the Great Kids Farm. This farm is 33 acres of organic farmland that is owned and operated entirely by the Baltimore Public Schools! This farm provides HUGE benefits for the community: selling produce to the community (restaurants, farmers' markets, etc), thereby serving as another source of income for the district; providing vocational training for students; service-learning opportunities, etc. It was also the site of an eight week summer internship program!
  • At one point, Geraci explains the well-known phenomenon that people living in urban areas are disproportionally affected by diseases that are diet related. Baltimore itself finds approximately 37% of their high school students are obese; higher than the state and national average. Because these rates also fall in line with the city's poverty rates, he writes, "It only makes sense that doing right by children's health can help them perform better in the classroom."
I clearly have difficulty being terse, but there's so much going on here! The Baltimore City Schools has a great thing going with this program. If you teach health or anything related to nutrition, I urge you to check out this article!


  1. WOW! sure beats smiley face "chicken" nuggets.
    Nice thoughts, Jeff. Good to see schools recognizing the importance of quality food. I especially like the reward system being used to encourage kids to branch out to new foods. Good stuff!

  2. Thanks, Caitlyn. I'd be interested to see what other programs in the country are similar to what Baltimore is doing, and all the challenges they must face daily.

    I know in Detroit there is a truck called, "Peaches and Greens" that operates like an ice cream truck, only serving fruits and veggies instead.

    That's not in the schools, but it's still helping the community. It does address the disparity I brought up as my last bullet, and anything that attempts to create positive change for people is worth mentioning!


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