A new report has found that school children in almost two dozen U.S. states get an average of less than one serving of seafood per year in their school lunch.
The report, issued Thursday, 17 November, by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture and NOAA to work together in finding ways to increase the presence of seafood in school lunches.
The GAO report found that seafood made up no more than 2 percent of the animal proteins the USDA purchased for its National School Lunch Program. That means students, on average, received about 3 ounces of seafood each year, far below the 4 to 10 ounces dietary expert recommend school-age children should consume on a weekly basis.
U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) and Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island) requested the study.
The report looked at purchases made at the state level from the 2014 to 2019 fiscal years. In 23 states and the District of Columbia, students received, on average, 2.9 ounces or less annually. In Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, and Rhode Island, the average consumption was 12 to 15 ounces per year.
Among the challenges the GAO found in responses from 10 states and school food authorities (SFA) were concerns about student allergies, student eating preferences, and the cost.
“However, officials from six of 10 SFAs expressed an interest in serving more seafood, including some citing it as a healthy option. USDA officials said that at least some of the factors could be addressed with nutrition education,” the report stated.
The GAO recommended that the USDA and NOAA draft a memorandum of understanding or some other type of agreement that enables NOAA to provide the USDA with a list of domestic seafood vendors. The agency also called on U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to devise a strategy to give states more aid in offering seafood products to students.
In response, the U.S. Commerce Department, which oversees NOAA, said it agreed with the GAO’s recommendation.
“Seafood is a healthy food choice, providing key nutrients and healthy protein essential for strong bones, brain development, and healthy immune and cardiovascular systems,” Acting CFO and Assistant Secretary for Administration Jeremy Pelter said.
USDA officials indicated they would take the GAO report's findings into account as it develops a plan.
In a statement, the Seafood Nutrition Partnership said its members were willing to work with NOAA and the USDA to develop strategies to increase seafood consumption in school lunches. It also encouraged school lunch decision-makers to read the report.
“We as a nation should be shocked and alarmed by the huge disparity between our nation’s nutrition guidelines and policies and how it is actually implemented in our national school nutrition programs,” the organization said.
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
