I'm a mission statement person.  I find that the more work you do at the front end of program development - mission statement, definitions and goals - the easier things flow through implementation.  If you're entering the school food arena now, the good news is that you've got a plethora of thoughtful, nuanced and tested definitions to use as a reference.  Before you conclude which one is right for your community, however, you must ask yourself, "Who's the decider?" If it's you - if you happen to be the governor of a state or the secretary of education or the superintendent of a school - then (with all due respect) go directly to Ann Cooper's Lunch Lessons and her website, www.chefann.com.  Chef Ann feeds children real food.  She did it in Berkeley and she's doing it in Colorado, and she can show you how to do it too.  If you're the decider and you believe that school children should be fed fresh whole foods cooked from scratch, you're just a few hiring decisions away from that becoming a reality. If, however, it's not you - if you're a teacher or a school nurse or a parent like me - your job will be to convince the decider.  Still read Lunch Lessons, but then head to the Harvard School of Public Health website, www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource, for an important alternative to the USDA food pyramid.  I've heard both Dr. Greene and Ann speak eloquently and at length about the USDA and it's pyramid, so I'll limit my comments to the parent advocacy problem - the processed chicken nuggets, syrupy peaches and microwaved sausage biscuits that you're trying to get replaced meet all of the USDA guidelines.  The government says they're "healthy."  Strategically, you'll need to proffer an alternate definition to use as the foundation of your request for reform.

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