Kentucky Schools Cut Junk, Make Money

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When the food service director for Kenton County, Kentucky started making changes to the foods available outside the lunch line in her schools, she had only the children's health in mind. She swapped baked chips for traditional versions, got rid of sugar fruit beverages and replaced them with actual fruit juice. And then, she saw her profits rise 61 percent over two years without any price increase in school lunches, reports the Washington Post.

Most of the time, healthy eating is equated with higher prices. One of the biggest challenges school lunch programs face when looking to offer more nutritious options is budget. However, getting rid of the junk food in Kenton County's 17 schools turned out to be financially responsible, so not only are there benefits to the students' health, but also to sports, band and any other extracurricular activities the lunch money funds.

In this case, when faced with the choice of less-junky snack food or a real lunch, students began to choose real lunch, which turned a greater profit for the schools. This summer, Congress is reexamining whether sugary, fat-filled snack foods should be allowed in schools -- this is a battle that's been raging for nearly 15 years. Could national standards based on Kentucky's example provide our kids with more nutrition, a greater appreciation for healthy eating and earn the schools some extra money? We'll have to wait and see, but we'll have our fingers crossed.