HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Schools are back in session around the state, and what’s on the lunch tray might look a little bit different after lawmakers passed legislation banning the use of certain food dyes.
One county school system saw where things were headed and decided to get ahead of the game. Cabell County Schools made the call to make sure its lunches complied with the new state code even before it was passed.
“We reached out to our main distributors and all of our cooks in all of our schools, and we just decided to make the change to go ahead and cut them at that time. I’ve got to tell you, when it happened, I thought we were going to have a lot of headache but it’s not been tough at all. We found good replacements,” Cabell County Schools Director of Food Services Travis Austin said Thursday on MetroNews Talkline.
Sweeping changes like this one are not always the easiest transitions to make. According to Austin, it’s been quite the contrary in finding new options to take the place of foods no longer permitted in school lunches.
“I was afraid back in February and March when this started rolling that West Virginia wasn’t going to move the needle alone. That was my fear, but actually working with our distributor, we’ve just picked up more,” he said.
With schools back open, the changes made to the meals in Cabell County are going to get their real test.
“My personal opinion, I think it’s a step in the right direction, but the kids will be the judge. They’re just going to have to adjust, and they will,” Austin said.
Austin said one initiative within the school system is helping to get the kind of fresh, healthy products they need onto students’ plates. A farm-to-school program is up and running with dividends already showing.
“I just think farm-to-school is a win-win. Students get a great product. It’s superior. It’s local. It’s fresh, and it helps local farmers, helps our local economy. I fail to see a downside in farm-to-school,” he said.
Cabell County Schools announced earlier this month that all kindergarten through 12th-grade students would receive free breakfast and lunch this school year.