ISU professor of economics Helen Jensen was interviewed on Iowa Public Radio’s Talk of Iowa on Monday, Oct. 1, 2012, about the implementation of new school lunch and breakfast policies. Jensen has long focused her research on food and nutrition policies, which have become a national hot topic as the government looks to offer healthier foods to children at school.

Jensen told Talk of Iowa host Charity Nebbe that the government is looking to increase at-school consumption of fruits and vegetables, and that there has been moves to increase the whole grain component of grains served, while placing restrictions on saturated and trans fats, and sodium. She also said that schools must follow a minimum and maximum calorie count for meals, as opposed to the former policy that only required minimum calorie counts.

The full transition to the new policies will take about three years, Jensen said. Some schools have already begun making transitions to the new policies, but others have not.

Jensen’s full interview on Talk of Iowa can be heard at http://news.iowapublicradio.org/post/healthy-changes-school-lunches. Jensen also recently published a working paper that examines the effect school policies have on children’s consumption of fruits and vegetables both at school and at home. The full paper is available on the CARD site at https://www.card.iastate.edu/products/publications/synopsis/?p=1173.