5 things: Study: B&I locations not a bastion of healthy eating

Each Friday I compile a list that highlights five things you probably missed in the news that week and why you should care about them.

Here’s your list for the week of June 11: 

1.    Study: B&I locations not a bastion of healthy eating

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that food found in US B&I locations wasn’t exactly healthy. Some results from the study included high calories a sodium and little whole grains and fruit. The survey found that many calories eaten in these cafes were “empty” calories. "Our results suggest that the foods people get from work do not align well with the recommendations in the dietary guidelines," said Stephen Onufrak, epidemiologist at the CDC. The study asked 5,222 employees about their dining habits in B&I locations. 

Read more: Do you eat food from the office cafeteria? It could do serious harm to your health

2.    USDA updates

The USDA has released several updates. The first is an update to so-called flexibilities in school meals. These are the same as had been in place but have been extended to school year 2018-2019. Those include waivers for whole grains, sodium target level one and the option to serve low-fat flavored milk. Other updates include $30 million in equipment grants and the Senate’s progression of the Farm Bill. 

Read more: FNS Details Child Nutrition Program Flexibilities for the Upcoming School Year
 

3.    EPA team asked to cut back on dining hall use

According to Politico, EPA chief Scott Pruitt and his team have been asked to cut back on their use of the While House dining hall. “We love having Mr. Pruitt, but it’s not meant for everyday use,” someone close to the EPA administrator told Politico. The EPA does not have its own cafeteria, so Pruitt and team have been using the Navy-run café, which is described as “cramped.”

Read more: Scott Pruitt and EPA staffers were asked to cut back on dining at White House restaurant

4. School meals not fully funded, judge finds
Every three years the California Department of Education monitors school district’s child nutrition programs to ensure they are meeting regulations and offer suggestions. A Mendocino County Grand Jury found that the county’s child nutrition programs were not fully funded by federal and state reimbursements, meaning the districts had to use funds to cover the shortfall. The grand jury recommended hiring a child nutrition director with a dietetics background to help and also said the hiring of such a position would help the smaller districts (there are 11 in the county) to find efficiencies in their programs, thus reducing costs. 

Read more: Mendocino County Grand Jury finds school meals not fully funded 

5. Bowling Green opens high-tech teaching kitchen
A new teaching kitchen has opened at bowling Green State University. Many colleges and hospitals are opening teaching kitchens to help their consumers learn about where their foods comes from and healthy ways to cook. The kitchen is designed with cameras and TVs to project the goings on at the kitchen. Classes offered include Dining with Outtakes, which uses only ingredients students can find in campus Outtakes Carryout locations, and Kitchen Confidence. 

Read more: BGSU Teaching Kitchen is cooking

Bonus: Primates feast on Bucknell Dining’s kitchen scraps

Contact Becky Schilling at [email protected] 
Follow her on Twitter: @bschilling_FM