School nutrition programs are going under the knife. Finally, there seems to be overall interest in what is dished out in school cafeteria lines. With so many young people needing a hot meal at school, it is imperative that we feed these youngsters food that is nutritionally beneficial. With the continual spiral of obesity statistics, we have a societal responsibility to make the school lunch program a model of nutritionally correct foods.

The National School Lunch Program feeds thousands of youngsters daily. It just got a needed cash infusion to keep it running and to expand its reach for the numerous families now seeking out is services. This is just the first committee approval, but it is expected to pass in the Senate. Remember the campaign promise of stamping out childhood hunger. This is a definite step in that direction.

Some individual states have encouraged their school systems to be proactive and emphasize the importance of locally grown foods in their meals. The goal is to put aside processed and canned vegetables in favor of what can be purchased fresh. They created “Homegrown School Lunch Week,” part of the farm-to-school movement, a great program.

Next week, October 12-16, is National School Lunch Week, a time to take stock of the pantry and make certain that it is filled with the most nutritious, healthy options.

No matter what the program is called, we need to remember that good nutrition deserves more than just a passing grade.