New Brunswick MDs and RDs Team Up to Make School Menus Matter

It's menus like this one that New Brunswick's MDs and RDs hope to change

Over in New Brunswick the the New Brunswick Medical Society and the New Brunswick Dietitians in Action have joined forces for a second round of their "Make Menus Matter" campaign.

The campaign, launched in 2013, aimed to explore what was being served to children in New Brunswick schools. At the time they collected school menus and asked kids to post pictures of their meals.

Well the data is in and it's not pretty. According to their analysis, 71% of school meals didn't comply with New Brunswick's school food policy. What is pretty, is that New Brunswick's health professionals are trying to do something about it and are providing reports of their school by school analyses to New Brunswick's Department of Education, are writing letters to schools that aren't in compliance to offer them help and assistance, and with a repeat of their 2013 campaign, are driving discussion in their communities.

But it's not all bad news. There were some great success stories, and they're highlighted here in the Make Menus Matter Where to Eat in New Brunswick Schools Guide, and they include what sounds like a wonderful Farm to School program and a kid cooked meal program both being run out of Cambridge-Narrows Community School.

Here's hoping sustained attention, awareness, and assistance lead this ongoing program to make a difference.