Processed meat in school food hurts our kids

What if the federal government purchased surplus cigarettes and delivered them to America’s elementary school students to smoke on the playground?

Sounds absurd, right? But the U.S. Department of Agriculture is doing something almost as irresponsible by providing processed meats, which have been shown to increase cancer risk, to schools through the National School Lunch Program and the National School Breakfast Program. Atlanta’s public schools, for example, serve a huge amount of processed meat.

Last year, in the most comprehensive report ever published on the evidence linking cancer risk to diet, the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and the World Cancer Research Fund concluded that processed meat is a convincing cause of colorectal cancer and should be avoided.

Maybe the government missed the news that processed meats can cause cancer, but now it’s getting the facts — a petition has recently been filed with the USDA.

I helped file this petition for rulemaking and enforcement as a dietitian for the Cancer Project, asking the USDA to stop distributing surplus processed meats to children through the school lunch and breakfast programs because these products have been linked to an increased risk of cancer in adulthood.

When determining the nutritional quality of a school meal, the USDA considers calories, fat, cholesterol and other factors. But there is another key component — the food itself. The actual food, how it’s cooked, and whether it exposes kids to risks — cancer, food-borne illnesses, or other ailments — must be considered to ensure a wholesome meal.

I believe strongly that no amount of processed meat should be served to kids.

If a kid eats sausage links and a hot dog at school for breakfast and lunch and a pepperoni pizza at home for dinner, he or she is developing a habit that will increase the risk of getting colon cancer later in life.

And this scenario is not unlikely — America’s schools aren’t just serving an occasional salami sandwich or mystery-meat medley. A survey conducted this year by the Cancer Project found that some school cafeterias serve processed meats at the majority of meals. In Atlanta’s secondary schools, processed meats are served for breakfast three out of five days.

The schools must take some responsibility for this, of course. But when the government supplies huge quantities of processed meats and other unhealthful foods free or at low prices to cash-strapped schools across the country, it’s an offer many food service directors can’t refuse.

Congress has given the USDA authority to protect the health of the nation’s children and to support the nation’s agricultural sector. Unfortunately, these two goals often conflict. The USDA purchases surplus agricultural commodities, which is beneficial for American agribusiness. But by distributing unhealthful surplus foods like processed meats to schools and exposing children to an increased risk of cancer later in life, the USDA is failing to protect the nation’s children.

Our processed meat petition is welcome news to medical professionals battling our nation’s epidemics of cancer, diabetes, obesity and heart disease. The petition calls upon the USDA to stop offering processed meats for purchase, subsidy and reimbursement under the school lunch and breakfast programs. We also want the USDA to encourage schools that continue to offer processed meats to include alternatives to these products on their menus.

The USDA can no longer act like an innocent bystander. It should take immediate action to respond to this petition and get hot dogs out of school lunch lines. The government must fulfill its responsibility to our nation’s children by encouraging good eating habits — instead of feeding our kids the meat industry’s leftovers.

• Krista L. Haynes is a staff dietitian with the Cancer Project.