Free for All: Fixing School Food in America

369 Pages·2010·2.57 MB·English

by  Janet Poppendieck

Free for All
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CAliForniA StudieS in Food And Culture
Darra Goldstein, Editor
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Free For All
Fixing School Food in AmericA
Janet Poppendieck
UniverSity oF cAliForniA PreSS
Berkeley los Angeles london
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University of California Press, one of the most distin-
guished university presses in the United States, enriches
lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the
humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activ-
ities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by
philanthropic contributions from individuals and institu-
tions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu.
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2010 by The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Poppendieck, Janet, 1945–.
Free for all : fixing school food in America / Janet
Poppendieck.
p. cm. — (California studies in food and
culture; 28)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-520-24370-5 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. National school lunch program. 2. School break-
fast programs—United States. 3. School children—
Food—United States. 4. Children—Nutrition—United
States. I. Title. II. Title: Fixing school food in
America.
lb3479.u6p55 2010
371.7'160973—dc22 2009015369
Manufactured in the United States of America
19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is printed on Cascades Enviro 100, a 100%
post consumer waste, recycled, de-inked fiber. FSC recy-
cled certified and processed chlorine free. It is acid free,
Ecologo certified, and manufactured by BioGas energy.
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For my daughter, Amanda
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: In Search of School Food 1
1. School Food 101 26
2. Food Fights: A Brief History 46
3. Penny Wise, Pound Foolish: What’s Driving the Menu? 84
4. How Nutritious Are School Meals? 111
5. The Missing Millions: Problems of Participation 133
6. Hunger in the Classroom: Problems of Access 161
7. Free, Reduced Price, Paid: Unintended Consequences 190
8. Local Heroes: Fixing School Food at the
Community Level 222
Conclusion: School Food at the Crossroads 257
Notes 297
Bibliography 333
Index 343
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Acknowledgments
I am grateful to the many people who have helped me along the jour-
ney represented by this book. First, I want to thank the food service
director and staff at the school I call Any Town High School, who must
remain anonymous. Your generosity and candor were essential to help-
ing me understand the realities of school food. And so were the time
and insights of all of the people that I interviewed—food service staff,
legislators, advocates, innovators, parents, teachers, administrators, stu-
dents, and the staff and leadership of the School Nutrition Association.
Very busy people with many demanding responsibilities took time to
teach me about school food. I interviewed many more people than I
quoted, so not all of you will find your names in these pages, but rest
assured that you all contributed to my understanding.
Between me and the people I interviewed, there were often inter-
mediaries, people who helped me find the folks who could tell me the
real story. In this role, I particularly want to thank Mark Winne, Bernie
Beaudreau, Bill Flynn, Dorigen Keeney, Frank Fear, Jonathan Osorio,
Joyce Lowry, Toni Liquori, Matt Sharp, Ken Hecht, Martha Lee, Sandy
Sheedy, and, in Sweden, Annika Wesslen.
Librarians at Hunter College and the University of California, Santa
Cruz were unfailingly helpful, and the staff of the wonderful Child
Nutrition Archives at the National Food Service Management Institute
steered me toward many useful sources in my brief time there. I am
also grateful to the staff at USDA who answered my many questions
ix
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