High-Fat Pizzas Flunk Out in Schools

By John Chambliss
The Ledger

LAKELAND | Say goodbye to that greasy pizza pie.

The Polk County School Board has new nutrition standards for pizza sold by the slice in school cafeterias. Low-fat cheese and veggies are in; pepperoni and sausage are out.

The high-fat pizzas have gone the way of sodas in Polk County schools. The switch occurred earlier this year as part of the school system's new wellness plan.

The wellness policy is Polk's response to a federal law requiring all school districts to adopt a plan for improving nutrition, increasing physical activity, and reducing obesity and diseases such as diabetes among students.

As part of the a la carte school menu, the School Board contracts with large pizza chains, such as Pizza Hut, Domino's Pizza and Hungry Howies, said Marcia Smith, director of Foodservice for the schools.

Pizza Hut was unable to comply with the county's new nutritional standards earlier this year, but Hungry Howie's and Domino's pizzas met the new standards.

Pizza Hut will have a second chance this month.

Recently, the School Board posted a legal ad seeking bids "for delivery of fresh pizzas for its School Foodservice program." Last year, students spent about $750,000 on a la carte pizza in school cafeterias. At $1.60 a slice that's 468,750 slices of pie.

Some schools also make their own pizza with low-fat pepperoni and low-fat cheese, which is served daily at some high schools and weekly at elementary schools.

Schools have been serving pizzas from chains for about 10 years. Smith said that she's unsure if the new menu decreased the amount of pizza consumed, but she hasn't heard any complaints.

She apparently hasn't talked to Mike Jensen, a senior football player at Lakeland High School.

"I always ate the stuff with meat on it," the defensive lineman and tight end said Thursday. "Now that they've taken it off I haven't eaten it that much."

Before the healthy change, Jensen ate the meat pizza at school once a week. Now he buys a Hungry Howie's veggie pizza about once a month.

Harrison Arts School senior Meaghan McGowan likes the new pizza. "It's so easy to get fast food whenever," she said. "They (the schools) are making our lives easier."

McGowan normally brings her lunch, but once a week she orders a slice of the Domino's cheese pizza at school.

Jensen concedes the new pizza has some merit. "I guess it's good for nutrition."