Watervliet City Schools receives feedback from the State Comptroller's Office on school nutrition

September 14, 2009

The Watervliet City School District was recently selected as one of 20 school districts from across the state for an audit of the nutritional content of the food offered by our food service program. The audit was conducted by the New York State Comptroller’s Office (OSC) and examined whether our food offerings met specific guidelines; reviewed the district’s Wellness Policy; and evaluated supplementary food offerings available to our students. The results have given district officials a lot of food for thought.

"Since 2007, we've consistently met and exceeded the standards and regulations put forth by the New York State Education Department and the Federal government for our food service program," said Superintendent Paul Padalino. "However, we're always striving to make ourselves better, so we appreciate the additional feedback on our program that this audit provides. We have reviewed the auditor's recommendations and will work toward their implementation, where feasible, in the 2009-10 school year."  (Click here to read the comptroller’s recommendations and the district’s planned responses)

School officials do, however, question some findings in the Comptroller’s report. The OSC audit states that Watervliet is in compliance with all state and federal regulations regarding our food service program. To this point, these standards have been the only written and reviewed standards for which the District has had formal guidance.

At issue are the standards used by auditors to analyze the nutritional value of the à la carte and vending machine items (also known as "competetive foods") offered in our schools. Auditors based their findings on nutritional guidelines recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). It is important to note, however, that the IOM standards have not been universally implemented in schools, nor has the State Department of Education (SED) adopted these guidelines. And while the OSC consulted with a group of health and nutrition professionals in determining that the IOM standards were appropriate ones to use in the preparation of this report, experts that deal exclusively with school nutrition aren’t so sure. In a letter to the OSC, dated June 15, 2009, Lisa Ostrowski, President of the New York School Nutrition Association, stated that her organization does not support using the IOM standards for a la carte sales in schools.

“Perhaps the greatest benefit of the audit process is finding out where more guidance may be needed," said Padalino. “Clearly, schools need more direction on standards for competitive foods. We welcome more direction from the state in this area.”

Padalino suggested continuing the dialogue on this issue through a collaborative effort between appropriate entities like the State Education Department and the Department of Health, working in conjunction with school nutrition experts and members of local school wellness committees.

Full copies of the audit reports are available in the district office. Or you can view them by clicking the links below.

Watervliet's Audit

Comptroller's Global report

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