PHILADELPHIA -- An automated cafeteria system will allow parents in Philadelphia to track what their children eat in school and designate items that are off limits.
Wayne Grasela, the district's director of food services, said the $1.9 million system will begin being installed during the next school year.
A child will punch in an identification number on a keypad at the lunch line, and a profile will indicate any restrictions on what the child can eat.
Some other school systems use or plan to use such systems. The Pearland school district outside Houston set up the system at 17 schools in August.
Parents can track what their children spend, and nutrition experts say such monitoring could help reduce childhood obesity.
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