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Our Accomplishments
Through our advocacy work, involving meetings and communications with
the Director of Food and Nutrition Services and the Chief Operating Officer
for MCPS, May, 2018 
MCPS reduced the frequency of pizza in elementary schools from twice to once a week. This occurred after we added repetition of pizza as one criteria (under Meal Variety and Repetition) in the School Food Environment Grades we produce with our coalition partners in Healthy School Food Maryland. Spring, 2018 
MCPS introduced new scratch cooked entrees: Fall, 2017 MCPS reduced sugar breakfast offerings for breakfast in the classroom from 4 times to 3 times a week. August, 2017
September, 2016 
MCPS removed Cheetos (containing MSG, artificial flavors, and a
variety of synthetic food dyes depending on the flavor) and Doritos
(containing MSG and a variety of synthetic food dyes depending on
the flavor) from a la carte options at all schools.
Read more... January, 2018 Update MCPS has reintroduced a cleaner label Doritos called Wild White, which contains no artificial colors. This product came about due in part to the demand created when MCPS cancelled its order of traditional Doritos, and will eventually be made available to districts around the country. March, 2016
December, 2015 
After almost three years of requests by HSFM, MPCS created a district-wide Wellness Committee, which included 50% non-MCPS employees and 25% parents, as we had requested. They also invited our Executive Director to sit on the committee. The committee met throughout the year and made recommendations on physical education, physical activity, mental health, nutrition, and the nutrition education curriculum. As of 9/29/16, we are still waiting for the final list of recommendations that were shared with the responsible offices in MCPS. MCPS COO Andrew Zuckerman confirmed in fall of 2016 that the committee will continue to meet and was intended to be a standing committee. Read more... November, 2015
MCPS issued a new
Wellness Regulation (JPG-RA) that prohibits products with
carcinogenic artificial sweeteners aspartame and acesulfame
potassium for school day sales. This effectively bans daytime sales
of G2, a lower-calorie Gatorade product and Fruit Wave H20, a
flavored, sweetened water sold in vending machines in middle and
high schools. The new regulation was developed by a committee that
met in the spring of 2015. The committee included HSFM's Executive
Director, who lobbied for this and many other changes to the
Wellness Regulation. October, 2014 
At our prompting, MCPS instructed their vending company to begin the removal of marketing messages on vending machine fronts for beverages that are not allowed in daytime sales to bring them into compliance with their own wellness policy. September, 2014 
MCPS announced a
new policy
prohibiting from future bids for school food many of the chemicals that HSFM had requested be
removed. The following chemicals will be prohibited in future MCPS
food: Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), trans fat, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 3,
Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Aspartame, Acesulfame-Potassium, Saccharin,
Butylated Hydroxyanisol (BHA), Potassium Bromate, Propyl Gallate,
Sodium Tripoly Phoshate (STPP), and Tert-Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ). January, 2018 Update MCPS' New Director of Food and Nutrition Services, Susan McCarron, has indicated that all future bid specs will include a prohibition on all artificial colors, except the non-toxic version of caramel coloring. September, 2014 A trial of healthier vending and a la carte items began in Takoma Park Middle School. Trial results indicated that sales had rebounded to pre-trial levels by the end of the year. Nevertheless, the vending company and MCPS reinstituted less healthy vending and a la carte items in the school at the end of the one-year trial period. August, 2014 
Thanks to our advocacy at the June, 2014 Board of Education meeting, MCPS announced that starting in the 2014-2015 school year, any elementary school child purchasing lunch would be entitled to a free, 8 ounce bottle of water. We are still advocating for a more environmentally sustainable solution that gives children better access to water. June, 2014 
During a Board of Education meeting where HSFM delivered a
petition with over 2000 signatures, MCPS school board members asked
the Director of the Division of Food and Nutrition Services (Marla
Caplon) to conduct a trial of water coolers and cups in a couple
schools. Ms. Caplon also indicated that she was working to remove
artificial food dyes from MCPS food and was developing a template
for principals to use to send a la carte lists home to parents at
each school. May, 2014 
At our request, MCPS replaced "Sidekicks" frozen juice sorbets containing artificial food dyes with two other flavors of "Sidekicks" without artificial colorings. January, 2014 
MCPS removed strawberry-flavored milk (containing 10 grams of
added sugar from High Fructose Corn Syrup and Red Dye 40) from sales in all of its schools. August, 2013 
At our request, MCPS agreed to delay turning on vending
machines selling products not meeting their wellness policy (such as sodas and candy) until 30 minutes after the school day ends (rather than right after the last bell).
Read more... June, 2013 
At our request, MCPS published a blurb on their elementary school menus indicating to parents that there are a la carte foods sold at the schools and that parents can limit their student's purchases by contacting their cafeteria manager. May, 2013 At our request, MCPS published a blurb on their elementary school menus indicating to parents that there are a la carte foods sold at the schools. April, 2013 
At our request, MCPS agreed to a trial of healthier a la carte and vending
products at Takoma Park Middle School. |
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