In Texas schools, picture is worth 1,000 calories

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - A $2 million project being unveiled on Wednesday in the lunchroom of a Texas elementary school will use high-tech cameras to photograph what foods children pile onto their trays - and later capture what they don't finish eating.

Digital imaging analysis of the snapshots will then calculate how many calories each student scarfed down. Local health officials said the program, funded by a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant, is the first of its kind in a US school, and will be so precise that the technology can identify a half-eaten pear left on a lunch tray.

Researchers hope parents will change eating habits at home once they see what their kids are choosing in schools. The data also will be used to study what foods children are likely to choose and how much of if they're eating.