Digital Dining and Public Schools: A Cool Way to Monitor What Your Child Eats

by mommytotwo | More from this Blogger

19 Sep 2006 09:00 AM

Digital dining is becoming more and more popular for schools these days. What is so special about this type of dining program in school cafeterias? Digital dining allows parents to monitor and even restrict things that their child eats during lunch at school.

Just how does this digital dining service work? There are a couple of different ways that schools have implemented this program for parents to better monitor what is eaten and ensure that the money they send for school lunch is actually being spent on school lunch.

In Atlanta, Georgia the public school system is utilizing a program called Mealpay.com that allows parents to prepay for their child's lunch online and also shows them what their child is eating at school. Parents can log onto the Mealpay website, put in their child's ID number and see a report of exactly what their child has been eating at school everyday.

In Houston, Texas the public school system has utilized Primero Food Service Solutions that allows parents to actually select what their child can and cannot eat for school lunch. If a child picks out something to eat that he is not supposed to have, a warning sound will go off when the cashier is placing the child's order. This warning sound lets the cashier know that the child has something on his plate that he is restricted from eating.

Schools have implemented these types of programs throughout the country in hopes to help curb childhood obesity. According to recent findings, children ages six to 11 now have double the chances to be overweight then they were 20 years ago. In the past, schools offered unhealthy snacks and foods full of fat for children to dine on. Schools are now working hard to improve school menus in order to provide nutritious and healthy food that also tastes good.

Does your child's school offer digital dining? Would you be interested in something like this if your school did start offering it?

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