Hisd Trustee Questions Pizza, Ice Cream On School Menus

HISD trustee questions pizza, ice cream on school menus Houston Chronicle Copyright 2012 Houston Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Published 07:06 p.m., Tuesday, April 10, 2012 According to Brian Giles, senior administrator of food services for HISD, all food served in district schools meets federal and state school nutrition regulations. The Papa John's pizza is made with whole wheat crust, low-fat cheese and lower sodium tomato sauce, while the Blue Bell ice cream has reduced fat content and smaller portion sizes, said Giles. [...] Bettina Siegel, who writes about school food reform in her blog, The Lunch Tray, says even healthier versions of pizza and ice cream may reinforce poor eating habits. The school is a place for teaching and represents a big source of authority in children's lives," Siegel said, "so when a school cafeteria is full of junk food - or nutritionally improved foods that look to kids just like junk food - you're sending kids a powerful message that it's perfectly OK to eat that way all the time, and that can set kids up for a lifetime of poor eating habits. If there are food items that you enjoy, there are ways to make them healthier. Since the food service department is designed to be self-supporting, the cost of the food purchased by the district is covered by revenue from student purchases or reimbursements, said Giles.