We, the undersigned, recommend that the following actions (listed below) be taken by Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice, Deputy Superintendent Gary Start and Kalamazoo Public Schools Board of Education to replace all low-quality “fast foods”(1) of the school meals program with healthier foods for the students of Kalamazoo Public Schools. The recommendations constitute a significant opportunity for KPS to positively impact students’ academic performance through increased access to higher-quality foods and improved nutrition.

KPS’ Strategic Plan states that educators will “Promote a healthy lifestyle through exercise, nutrition and sleep” and that the Food Service Department will “Provide nutritious meals in a welcoming atmosphere.” Currently, KPS meals meet the standards set forth by the USDA (13) but that does not fulfill the strategic plan or fuel The Kalamazoo Promise. Students are being served whole grains, but it is achieved with products that have been formulated with dyes, additives, excess sugars and a long list of unfamiliar ingredients. We believe that the USDA standards do not go far enough and KPS can do better for students.

There is an increasing body of literature that suggests a connection between improved nutrition and optimal brain function and better scholastic performance (2,3,7,10). Food served in our public schools should consistently be of a quality that allows students to attain their academic potential. Above and beyond socioeconomic factors, diet quality can have a long-term influence on cognitive development and academic performance (3,7). Conversely, diets that are high in trans and saturated fats can negatively impact the brain, influencing learning and memory (6, 11). An effective school meals program has the potential to improve diet quality, academic performance, future academic attainment and long term health. The students of KPS deserve improved nutrition from an innovative, and delicious, school meals program.

Many districts have developed a variety of strategies for increasing student participation, food service staff cooperation and financial feasibility while simultaneously investing in the nutrition of the students and communities that they serve (14). There are resources available at the federal and state level and within the Kalamazoo community to help implement changes. It is time to revolutionize the school meals program in Kalamazoo Public Schools.

As the home of the Kalamazoo Promise, KPS is a national leader in creating a college going culture for all of our students. Now KPS can be a leader in creating a culture of health and nutrition for all of our students. Raising the bar for our school meals program will help fuel the Kalamazoo Promise by positively impacting students’ academic performance through increased access to healthy foods and improved nutrition. KPS has the opportunity to provide leadership and action through its school meals program - to not only focus on supporting and strengthening the health and well-being of our students beginning at meal time - but to also use this specific program as an opening to further partnerships, engagement, and discussion between the county government, the school board and the community in support of The Kalamazoo Promise and of our collective, shared vision for healthier people and a stronger Kalamazoo community.

The following recommendations are steps towards improving the outcomes of KPS which charges students to “Work hard in school. Graduate. Earn a Promise scholarship. Be successful in life.” The students of KPS face food-related concerns such as food insecurity, poor nutrition, obesity and hunger at astonishing rates. While the thousands of breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks that are served to students daily are a step in addressing these issues, it is our collective responsibility to provide meals with a level of quality, nutrition and flavor that is in their best interest and matches the high standards for academic instruction.

Recommendations:

• PROVIDE UNLIMITED FILTERED WATER. Expedite the process of implementing a system-wide solution for easier access to unlimited filtered water in the cafeteria and throughout the building. Install a minimum of one water bottle filter station per building.

• PROHIBIT CHEMICAL ADDITIVES. Remove all foods that include chemicals rated as "Caution" or "Avoid" by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (see list below). Food dyes and other ingredients can impair behavior in some children (15). Additional serious health and behavioral issues have also been connected to these ingredients.

• LIMIT SUGAR. Set an upper limit in grams of sugar served in the KPS school meals program based on the limits for children recommended by the American Heart Association. According to the daily sugar recommendations for children set forth by the American Heart Association, it is possible for an elementary student to consume double their daily sugar allowance in breakfast alone (18).

• SERVE AGE-APPROPRIATE, EASY TO EAT FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. Offer fresh fruits and vegetables to all children with school meals, served in a form that is age-appropriate, easy to eat (i.e., apples should be sliced for elementary-age children). (17)

• IMPROVE TRANSPARENCY AND COMMUNICATION. Students, parents and the community will have access to nutrition information, including ingredient lists, for all foods sold and served to students in any KPS cafeteria, snack cart or shop.

• SERVE SCRATCH-COOKED FOOD. Move towards the process of food cooked from scratch while employing strategies that encourage students to eat healthier food. Use organic and locally produced ingredients from small family farms whenever possible.

• ADD 5 MINUTES TO EVERY LUNCH: It has been shown that school policies that encourage at least 25 minutes of seated time might improve dietary intake (16).

We respectfully request your prompt attention and a public response to these recommendations.

Sincerely,
Healthy Foods in Schools, Kalamazoo

PICTURES OF KPS SCHOOL MEALS:
https://goo.gl/photos/ZZdfnuXBiCHem2BL8

LIST OF PROHIBITED CHEMICAL ADDITIVES:
Chemicals rated as "Caution" or "Avoid" by the Center for Science in the Public Interest: artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners (including acesulfame potassium and cyclamates), MSG and other glutamate-containing additives including autolyzed yeast, Torula yeast and hydrolyzed vegetable protein, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), azodicarbonamide, sodium benzoate and sulfites/SO2, brominated vegetable oil (BVO), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), carrageenan, diacetyl, heptyl paraben, monk fruit extract, sucralose, transglutaminase (“meat glue”), cesulfame-potassium, ALOE VERA, BLUE 1 and 2, caramel coloring, CITRUS RED 2, GREEN 3,ORANGE B, RED 2, 3 and 40, YELLOW 5 and 6, aspartame (Nutrasweet), azodicarbonamide, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), GINKGO BILOBA, mycoprotein/quorn, olestra (OLEAN), partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (TRANS FAT), potassium bromate, propyl gallate, saccharin, sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, TBHQ (tert-butylhydroquinone), aluminum, and any other substances that are added to this list.

REFERENCES
1. Fast Foods [Def. 1 and 2]. (2015). In Merriam Webster Online, Retrieved February 19, 2016 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fast%E2%80%93food.
2. Nyaradi, A., Li, J., Hickling, S., Foster, J. & Oddy, W.H. (2013). The role of nutrition in children's neurocognitive development, from pregnancy through childhood. Front Hum Neurosci. 7(97). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3607807/.
3. Taki, Y., Hashizume, H., Sassa, Y., Takeuchi, H., Asano, M., Asano, K., & Kawashima, R. (2010). Breakfast Staple Types Affect Brain Gray Matter Volume and Cognitive Function in Healthy Children. PLoS ONE, 5(12), e15213. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0015213.
4. Fernández Morales I., Aguilar Vilas M. V., Mateos Vega C. J. & Martínez Para M. C. (2008). Relation between the breakfast quality and the academic performance in adolescents of Guadalajara (Castilla-La Mancha). Nutr. Hosp. 23(4) Retrieved from: http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0212-16112008000500011&lng=en.
5. Herrero Lozano R. & Fillat Ballesteros J. C. (2006). A study on breakfast and school performance in a group of adolescents. Nutr. Hosp. 21, Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3737458/.
6. Greenwood, C. & Winocur, G. (2005). High-fat diets, insulin resistance and declining cognitive function. Neurobiology of Aging.26(1). Retrieved from http://www.neurobiologyofaging.org/article/S0197-4580(05)00277-0/abstract.
7. Florence, M. D., Asbridge, M. & Veugelers, P. J. (2008). Diet Quality and Academic Performance. Journal of School Health. 78 (4). Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2008.00288.x/epdf.
8. Taras, H. (2005). Nutrition and student performance at school. J Sch Health. 75. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2005.00025.x/references.
9. Rampersaud, G.C., Pereira, M.A., Girard, B.L., et al. (2005) Breakfast habits, nutritional status, body weight, and academic performance in children and adolescents. J Am Diet Assoc. 105. Retrieved from http://www.andjrnl.org/article/S0002-8223(05)00151-3/abstract.
10. Sorhaindo, A., & Feinstein, L. (2006). What is the relationship between child nutrition and school outcomes? [Wider Benefits of Learning Research Report No. 18]. London: Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning, Institute of Education, University of London. Retrieved from http://eprints.ioe.ac.uk/15414/.
11. Nyaradi, A. Li, J. Hickling, S., Foster, J.K., Jacques, A., Ambrosini, G.L., & Oddy, W.H (2015). A Western Dietary Pattern Is Associated with Poor Academic Performance in Australian Adolescents. Nutrients,7(4). Retrieved from http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/7/4/2961.
12. Eero A. Haapala, E.A., Eloranta A-M., Venäläinen, T., Schwab, U., Lindi, V. & Lakka, T.A. (2015). Associations of diet quality with cognition in children – the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children Study. British Journal of Nutrition. 114. Retrieved from http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=9968158&fileId=S0007114515001634.
13. Final Rule Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. (2012, Jan.) Retrieved from http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/dietaryspecs.pdf.
14. Examples of other school districts that have made positive changes for their students and community while fulfilling requirements and remaining within budget constraints:
Minneapolis Public Schools MN (http://nutritionservices.mpls.k12.mn.us/, http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/03/05/23ltlf-weber.h33.html),
Fairfax County Public Schools VA (http://www.fcps.edu/fs/food/)
, Berkeley Unified School District CA, Colonial School District DE, Campbell County Schools WV, Burlington School District VT, Old Orchard Beach Schools ME, Boulder Valley School District CO, Los Angeles Public Schools CA, NYC Public Schools Queens NY, Chesapeake Public Schools VA
15. https://www.cspinet.org/fooddyes/Food-Dyes-Fact-Sheet.pdf.
16. Juliana F.W. Cohen, J.F.W., Jahn, J.L., Richardson, S., Cluggish, S.A., Parker, W. & Rimm, E.B. (2015). Amount of Time to Eat Lunch Is Associated with Children’s Selection and Consumption of School Meal Entrée, Fruits, Vegetables, and Milk. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 116(1). Retrieved from http://www.andjrnl.org/article/S2212-2672(15)01248-4/pdf
17. http://foodpsychology.cornell.edu/discoveries/slice-fruit
18. American Heart Association. (2009). Dietary Sugars Intake and Cardiovascular Health: A Scientific Statement From The American Heart Association. 120:1011-1020. Dallas, TX. American Heart Association Nutrition Committee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism and the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention. http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/120/11/1011