by Li’l Dan Celdran and Genevieve Demos Kelley
Maryland Meals for Achievement (MMFA) is a program that offers breakfast in the classroom to all students at participating schools, regardless of family income. During the 2014-2015 school year, 78 schools in Prince George’s county and 473 schools in Maryland participated. Harvard University researchers have found that classroom breakfast has a positive impact on academics and behavior. (Read more about MMFA here.)
Here are photographs of three breakfasts served in a PGCPS kindergarten classroom during the week of May 18-22, 2015.
May 21, 2015: Golden Grahams, cinnamon crisps, fresh apple, juice, milk
May 20, 2015: “Blueberry Bash” mini waffles, fresh apple, juice, milk
May 22, 2015: Toast, apple slices, juice, milk
Dietary guidelines for the School Breakfast Program are mandated by the Food and Nutrition Service division of the USDA. Breakfast must include a minimum of one cup of fruit and one cup of milk each day, and it must meet a minimum grain requirement, which varies by grade level. Saturated fat must account for fewer than 10% of total calories, and no trans fat is permitted. Calorie requirements and sodium restrictions vary by grade level. Though caloric value is restricted (e.g. breakfast must be in 350-500 calorie range for K-5 students), sugar content is not specifically regulated. (Find breakfast dietary guidelines here.)
To find details about PGCPS’s meal programs and contact information for dietary staff, visit the Food and Nutrition Services page of the PGCPS website.
Prince George's County Advocates for Better Schools 
This is set up for future diabetes and fatty liver. Golden grams? Seriously? Apple juice?
Sugar content should be decreased.
I looked up the waffles ingredients > Most concerning are sugar, brown sugar corn syrup , palm oil and artificial flavors!
16 grams of sugar just in the waffles, the grape juice is sugar too.
Are the waffles microwaved? Even worse.
Water, Whole Wheat Flour, Sugar, Soybean Oil, Maltodextrin, Brown Sugar, Corn Syrup, Whole Grain Corn, Soy Lecithin, Nonfat Milk, Eggs, Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Corn Starch, Salt, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Calcium Acid Pyrophosphate, Palm Oil, Potassium Bicarbonate, Tricalcium Phosphate.
http://www.pillsbury.com/products/breakfast/frozen-waffles/heat-n-go-mini-maple-madness
17 grams sugar in golden grams and artificial flavor
INGREDIENTS: GENERAL MILLS GOLDEN GRAHAMS (Whole Grain Wheat, Sugar, Corn Meal, Brown Sugar Syrup, Modified Corn Starch, Canola Oil, Honey, Salt, Nonfat Milk, Calcium Carbonate, Baking Soda, Dextrose, Trisodium Phosphate, Zinc and Iron (mineral nutrients), Vitamin C, A B Vitamin (niacinamide), Artificial Flavor, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B1, Vitamin A, A B Vitamin (folic acid), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Vitamin E. )
ALLERGENS: Milk, Wheat
http://www.nutrition.und.edu/foodpro/label.asp?locationNum=08&locationName=&dtdate=3%2F8%2F2011&RecNumAndPort=034019*1
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