Family-style Foodservice Can Meet US Dietary Guidelines for Elementary School Children

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Methods

Our study assessed energy and macro-nutrient intake of children in grades 3 through 6 (aged about 9 to 12 years) when served family style vs traditional cafeteria-style foodservice. Two elementary schools in Hastings, Neb, were selected as the study population. The family style foodservice cafeteria served 130 students and the traditional foodservice cafeteria served 126 students.

Menus were modified to comply with US Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines (15). The foodservice staffs were

Results and Discussion

A total of 726 meals in the family style foodservice group and 557 meals in the traditional-style foodservice group were analyzed. Due to illnesses, holidays, and other school events, each child in the family style foodservice cafeteria was observed an average of 5.5 times, and children in the traditional cafeteria were observed 4.5 times. Both schools had identical menu choices. Menu modification adhering to the USDA guidelines resulted in close agreement with the goals of Healthy People 2000.

Applications

■ Family style foodservice met all dietary guidelines for school lunches except those for sodium.

■ The results indicate that a reduced-fat meal could meet energy needs.

■ Family style foodservice may benefit young children in particular, in that allowing some autonomy in food selection and portion size may improve total energy and food intake as well as increase the variety of foods consumed. Additionally, teachers and parents can positively reinforce healthful food selections in a family style

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