Should Schools Ban Hot Dogs?

The Cancer Project, a national cancer prevention group, wants processed meats such as hot dogs to be banned from school cafeterias.

To communicate the message, the group is running a TV ad that features schoolchildren dining on cafeteria hot dogs and pepperoni pizza. One little boy says, "I thought I'd live forever. I was dumbfounded when the doctor told me I have late-stage colon cancer."

It's certainly attention-grabbing. Jennifer Reilly, senior nutritionist for the Cancer Project, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the point of the ad was not to alarm but to teach parents and school food directors about the importance of healthy choices. (See our suggestions for greening your school cafeteria below.)

The inspiration behind the campaign is the latest news from the American Institute for Cancer Research, which recently published a report concluding diets high in red meat (beef, pork and lamb) and especially processed meats (such as hot dogs) are a convincing cause of colorectal cancer.

According to the Inquirer, The Cancer Project says that eating hot dogs, sausage patties and similar foods increases a person's risk of colorectal cancer by 21 percent for every 50 grams eaten daily. The article says 50 grams is the size of one hot dog.

The Cancer Project looked at menus in 38 school districts around the country, and launched its ad campaign in "failing districts": Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Chicago.

But as usual, others suggest moderation is the key.

The paper quotes Paul Lyons, professor of family medicine at Temple University School of Medicine: "There are lots of reasons not to give your children large quantities of processed meats -- cancer is one, but there are better ones, like high calories, high sodium and high fat. If your child eats hot dogs once in a while, I don't think that you need to worry that they'll get cancer."

In the meantime, you can take a more proactive approach to upping the green standards at your kids' school cafeteria. Start with the O'Mama Report, which provides a list of 11 tips for making green inroads in school cafeterias.

Then check out the Farm to School Program, which partners schools and local farmers, and includes farm visits, farmers' visits to classrooms and students participating in a wide variety of agricultural experiential education programs.

The USDA National Farm to School Program is another alternative that works to connect schools with small local farms to increase the amount of locally grown food served in cafeterias. The program also provides health and nutrition education opportunities for teachers, parents and students by means of farm visits, classroom education and school garden opportunities.