New Standards Good in Theory, But Will Kids Eat Their Vegetables?
Posted by Katherine Van Steenburgh on Thursday, February 2, 2012
Last week, First Lady Michelle Obama and the USDA announced new nutrition standards for school meals. These changes mean more fruits and vegetables and less fat and sodium for school food. You might be saying to yourself, that’s great in theory, but will kids really eat the healthy food?
If that is you, here are two stories posted on Tray Talk, by the School Nutrition Association that might make you think twice.
Ohio Students Ask for More Spinach!
Sailorway Middle School’s cafeteria (Ohio) had been offering fresh fruits or vegetables every day for years, but when Cafeteria Manager Evie Hess realized many of the fourth graders weren’t taking the fresh produce, she knew it was time to mix up the menu. So one day Evie ordered fresh strawberries and baby spinach and served them with low fat poppy seed dressing. Her assistant said, “No way are they going to eat this!” but the class scooped up every single serving and students were asking for more the rest of the week!
Evie knows you have to get creative if you want kids to try their fruits and veggies. She also serves pineapple tidbits with a sprinkling of blueberries and pairs sugar snap peas with cherry tomatoes for a colorful serving line. She still comes across students who don’t recognize the fresh foods she serves, but thanks to the school meal program, Sailorway students are learning to love their fruits and veggies.
Florida Students are Gobbling up their Greens.
Students in Hillsborough County School District (Florida) can always choose from a variety of fresh produce in their school cafeterias, but recently the district has found new ways to get kids excited about eating their vegetables.
This spring, first graders at Mango Elementary were invited to pick fresh collard greens from their school vegetable garden. The cafeteria staff prepared the greens and handed out free samples for students to try. It was amazing to see these young children gobbling up their greens! Especially the ones grown in their own school garden!
Freedom High School students have been getting their vitamins too, thanks to the school’s new “Field of Greens” fresh-made salads. The cafeteria staff surveyed students to identify their favorite salad toppings, including apple slices, grape tomatoes, dried cranberries and cucumbers. While waiting in line, students complete order sheets requesting up to five toppings for the Iceberg/Romaine/Spinach mix. The made-to-order salad system keeps the cafeteria clean and lunch lines moving fast, and it has been a huge hit with students. Average weekly salad sales jumped from 138 up to almost 500 since “Field of Greens” was launched. This concept will be rolled out to all high schools during this school year.
These aren’t the only stories like this. We see the same thing in our Cooking Matters courses. Read other success stories posted by Tray Talk.
Do you have your own story that shows that kids really will eat their vegetables? Please leave a comment!
February 2, 2012 | 0 comment(s) | Tags: no kid hungry, nutrition, usda standards
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