Canned fruits and vegetables, contrary to belief, have the almost the exact same amount of nutrients as their fresh counterparts. Salt and sugar levels can be controlled by providing the little-to-no salt vegetable options and 100% fruit juice or water packed fruit options(It All Matters!). Barbara Klein, Ph.D., Professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois, and Rhonda Kaletz, M.S. of the University of Illinois confirm in their study Nutrient Conservation in Canned, Frozen, and Fresh Foods: “Due to the minimal deleterious[harmful] oxygen during storage, the nutrients in canned and frozen fruits remain relatively stable for consumption”(“Know the …show more content…
Reimbursement is the money that the government gives back to the school for each free, reduced, and paid lunch(4109). For a meal to be reimbursable, according to Gayle Hervey, a student must have either a fruit or a vegetable on her tray, and at Van Buren, if a student does not have a fruit or vegetable, the cooks make her go back and get one. However, according to the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service: “By law, children in high school must be permitted to decline lunch items they do not intend to eat . . . this means that high school children may decline as many as two of the five items . . . ”(School Meals FAQs 2). So, if a student has at least three of the meal components, she does not have to take a fruit or vegetable if she does not intend to eat