PCRM Seeks Nominees for 2006 Golden Carrot Awards
Does your child come home from school raving about the veggie
burger or three-bean chili she had for lunch? Not likely. Most
schools still focus on cheese pizza, burgers, and similar high-fat
fare. But a few schools do, in fact, serve healthful food, including
vegetarian options. To recognize these leaders, PCRM is seeking
nominations for its annual Golden Carrot Awards.
 PCRM established
the Golden Carrot Awards in 2004 to recognize food service professionals
doing an exceptional job of improving the healthfulness of school
lunches. PCRM is particularly interested in schools that provide
plenty of low-fat, vegan, whole grain, and nondairy options.
“We
want to recognize schools tackling the link between childhood obesity
and the high-fat, artery-clogging food typically served in the lunchroom,” says
nutritionist Dulcie Ward, R.D., who coordinates PCRM’s Healthy School
Lunch Campaign.
Schools will also be recognized for incorporating plant-based
commodity foods into their menus, promoting healthy choices—by
serving healthy food a la carte and in vending machines or limiting
high-fat products, for example—and offering nutrition education
programs.
Last year’s Golden Carrot Award grand prize winner
was Susan Wolfe-Hill, a chef and head of the food service program
at Poughkeepsie Day School in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. At least half
of the choices on the school menu are vegan, and all the soups
and stews are homemade. Some typical menu items include Louisiana-style
red beans and brown rice, penne with broccoli, and butternut squash
soup.
Elsewhere, typical school lunch menus are high in cholesterol and
saturated fat, and low in fruits, vegetables, and fiber. The government’s
own School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study has found that an
astonishing 80 percent of schools serve too much fatty food in
the lunch line to comply with federal guidelines.
Kids who eat a
healthy vegetarian diet have lower risks of high cholesterol, heart
disease, and many types of cancer. Healthy school lunches could
also help curb childhood obesity, which affects as many as five
million youths ages six to 17.
The grand prize for the Golden Carrot
Awards is $5,000, with $1,500 going to the food service professional
and $3,500 going to the school’s food service program. Up
to four additional $1,000 awards will be given to other winners.
All nominations must be received by September 18, 2006.
To see all of the nomination guidelines and to download a nomination
form, please visit www.HealthySchoolLunches.org.
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