Study: Kids will eat nutritious school lunches; overall costs the same as for unhealthy options

A University of Minnesota study has found that "school lunch sales don't decline when healthier meals are served, and that more nutritious lunches don't necessarily cost schools more to produce." (Source: "Study: Kids Will Eat Healthy School Food," Associated Press, Nov. 25, 2007.) While previous studies suggested that students prefered fatty foods and that healthier meals cost more to make, this was not supported by the new study, which appears in the December issue of the Review of Agricultural Economics. The study's authors analyzed five years of data for 330 Minnesota public school districts and found that while serving better meals did increase labor costs, that cost was offset by lower prices for more nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables as compared with processed foods. However, in order to take advantage of this, the authors noted that many school districts needed to "upgrade their kitchens and train their staff to prepare these foods."