ITHACA, N.Y.—Schools that want to double their fruit sales can do so by making simple changes in the cafeteria layout such as placing fruit in colorful bowls, according to new research conducted at the Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs (BEN) that was presented this week at the American Dietetic Association Conference in San Diego.
Last year, Cornell received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish the Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs (BEN) to study psychological and economic research connected to childhood nutrition in order to learn what it takes to change their eating habits without changing what is offered in the school cafeteria.
Sam Kass, the White House chef, and Let's Move, Michelle Obama's initiative to solve the childhood obesity epidemic, recently teamed up with BEN to progress toward this goal through the Chef's Move to Schools program.
BEN co-directors David Just and Brian Wansink met with White House and USDA staff, as well as several food and foodservice industry leaders, to discuss the facets of the collaboration. The Chef's Move to Schools program will mend the disconnect by making traditional lunchtime innovative and healthy. This partnership will provide wider access to BEN center research, allowing more schools to use simple, cheap, and effective tools to lead children to choose healthier food.
"This is a great opportunity to improve kids' school meal choices. Everyone involved is enthusiastic and eager to help make school lunch exciting as well as nutritious. The Chef's Move to Schools program is a great way for chefs to capture kids' imaginations with a healthy and wholesome message and make a lasting difference," Just said.
The BEN center has analyzed multiple school lunchroom layouts and designs that hindered student's selection of nutritious foods. The lunchrooms were revamped with easy, low-cost/no-cost environmental changes that resulted in an increase in healthy food choices. On a broader level, the BEN center works with researchers and policy makers to make important high-level decisions that impact healthy food environments nationwide.
