Federal guidelines for school lunches: Does it really make a difference?

Even if school trays are loaded up with fruits and vegetables during lunchtime, kids are not actually eating them.

MUNTINLUPA CITY, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - Healthier lunches have been required in schools in accordance to federal guidelines, but children remain unhealthy eaters. A lot of children are throwing out fruits and vegetables from their lunch rather than eating them, a new study reveals.

The University of Vermont conducted a study using digital photos to record childrens' lunch trays and eating habits. Pictures were taken while they were picking food, after eating and while throwing their left-over food in the food disposal area.

Images revealed that children are including vegetables and fruits on their trays, but only consume a small amount of them. The study revealed 56 percent food waste, leading to the question of whether the federal ruling on healthier eating is making a difference.

Even if the ruling required kids to stack fruits and vegetables on their trays, it wouldn't guarantee that they are eating them.

The author of the study, Sarah Amin, told CBS News their course of their 21 visits to two elementary schools implementing the USDA guidelines did not clearly show kids are eating healthier than before. However, a 2014 Harvard study found conflicting data suggesting that kids were eating more fruits and vegetables.

Amin admits that the sample size was small, but the findings revealed the childrens' responses to school meal regulations.

Researchers are now suggesting that making fruits and vegetables aesthetically pleasing to children may be a way to fix the problem. Strategies to incorporate the healthy options in other meals, such as offering them in dips and sliced into fun sizes, might encourage kids to eat make healthier choices.

Amin believes, "change takes time. This really rocks the school nutrition world. We have to have patience with this and not give up hope yet."

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