STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Was the city's quest to reduce obesity leaving some Staten Island students hungry come lunch time? New York City has acknowledged that its school lunch offerings served fewer calories to children than required by the federal government, running afoul of a set of Department of Agriculture requirements written in 1994, according to a...
A school lunch in this 2007 file photo consists of a cheeseburger, french fries, milk and an ice.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Was the city's quest to reduce obesity leaving some Staten Island students hungry come lunch time?
New York City has acknowledged that its school lunch offerings served fewer calories to children than required by the federal government, running afoul of a set of Department of Agriculture requirements written in 1994, according to a report in the New York Times.
City officials said their intention was not to reduce calories but to provide children with more nutritious choices. But in re-engineering the foods, it dropped the calories at sometimes below the federal minimum.
For instance, replacing pork bacon strips with turkey ones cut 64 calories from one serving.
"Our mentality is to feed food to children, not nutrients to astronauts", Eric S. Goldstein, the chief executive for the city Education Department's school support services, told the Times.
The Times reports that the city couldn't say how long the students had been getting fewer calories than required or how many calories they were short.
The city said school chefs are working on menus to meet new nutritional standards going into effect this year that call for less sodium and more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. It also is making sure the meals have enough calories.
-- Associated Press material was used in this report.