Students at
Charlotte- Mecklenburg
Schools need
balanced
menus - now
Sign the Petition!
Join the coalition of parents, students, and community members in asking that CMS serve healthier, balanced meals to all their students by signing the petition below.
It's simple:
Our children deserve to be served the healthiest possible meals at school.
And we know that CMS can do better.
Our children are eating too much meat and eggs, too many over-processed products, and not enough fruits and vegetables. This kind of imbalanced diet contributes to 678,000 deaths in the US annually and causes 1 in 3 Americans to live with a preventable chronic illness.
And because food environment is the primary influence of food choice - especially in schools where the options are pre-decided for students, for up to 2 meals a day - CMS schools have a responsibility to create the healthiest possible menus for our children.
Nutrition science is clear. CMS menus can and must make these common sense changes.
That's why our coalition of concerned parents, students, and community members is asking CMS leadership to commit to reducing the amount of disease-promoting foods on their menus and replace them with the things we know make kids grow strong and healthy: fresh fruits and vegetables, lean plant proteins, and whole grains.
74% of children, 86% of teens and 82% of adults in Mecklenburg County don't eat enough fruits and vegetables
Over 18% of North Carolina students miss 1-2 weeks of school due to illness every year
Over 233,000 adults in Mecklenburg County have high blood pressure and 33% have high cholesterol
More than half of deaths in Mecklenburg County are caused by cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke — all diet-related diseases
Mecklenburg County is already suffering the consequences of imbalanced menus.
The problem: CMS menus don't reflect a balanced diet.
The leading causes of preventable disease, chronic illness, and premature death in the United States are all related to diet and poor nutrition—diseases like diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and even some cancers. Children born today have a shorter predicted life expectancy than their parents as a result of skyrocketing diet-related diseases. We must do better for our children—but the time to act is now.
Too many products high in cholesterol, saturated fats, and sodium like meats, eggs, and full fat dairy products
1
Too many ultra-processed foods made with disease-promoting refined grains and processed meats
2
Too few health-promoting fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes
3
Imbalanced menus make it harder for students to get the nutrients they need to learn, grow, and excel.
Independent public health organization Balanced reviewed the healthfulness of CMS menus and gave it a "D" grade—nearly a failing grade, with huge consequences for our children's health. In their analysis, Balanced found that the CMS served:
Eliminate processed meats like hot dogs, pepperoni pizza, sausage and egg sandwiches, and ultra-processed foods like chicken nuggets and fish sticks
Reduce the amount of disease-promoting foods high in cholesterol, saturated fats, and sodium like meat, egg, dairy, and other processed products
Replace unhealthy menu items with foods rich in nutrients and high in fiber like fruits, vegetables, diverse plant proteins, and whole grains
SUPPORTERS
Meet some of the people behind this effort for our childrens' health.
Kristen Moyer
Mother of 2 CMS Students
So many students rely on school lunches to fuel their day, and we should be providing nutritious meals that nourish them. They need wholesome foods that keep them going throughout the school day. We need to do better for our students! Feeding them lunches of processed meats, which are known carcinogens, is not the best we can do for our students. Our family is committed to working toward menus that feature healthy whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
