Schools

Nutrition is top of mind in cafeterias and at vending machines

By Allison Perlik, Senior Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 9/15/2003

As restaurants struggle to reconcile consumer cravings for taste with a growing demand for nutrition, the nation’s schools are on a similar path to ensure that the next generation’s eating habits start off right.

The percentage of children who are overweight continues to rise, according to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its data show that among children ages 6 to 19, 15%—almost 9 million—are overweight, triple the number in 1980.

To combat this trend, school foodservice directors are promoting good health through a variety of creative and cost-effective initiatives. Strategies include more menu variety, in-house promotions, easily accessible nutritional information and updated vending programs.

“It’s not take it or leave it anymore,” says JoAnne Robinett, food service supervisor at Beavercreek City Schools in Beavercreek, Ohio, which now offers more menu choices in a drive to increase student participation. Robinett also tracks sales of various items to ensure that only the best-selling items stay in rotation.

Districts such as Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Miami and Fairfax County Public Schools in Springfield, Va., take cues from commercial foodservice for some of these new products. Fairfax cafeterias patterned packaged Southwestern, Oriental and Caesar salads after similar products at Wendy’s, while Miami-Dade schools, which also offer new salads, took a cue from McDonald’s with its yogurt-and-fruit parfait.

Machine tooling
Vending programs also are under review. The New York City Board of Education recently announced plans to ban candy, soda and other sugary snacks from school machines. Penny Parham, administrative director of Miami-Dade’s department of food and nutrition, is working on a healthy vending pilot program that will offer noncarbonated beverages such as milk, water, juice and sports drinks as well as baked snack items.

Yet many districts have voted down similar efforts, saying school districts rely on the much-needed revenue candy and soda machines yield. Penny McConnell, director of food and nutrition services for Fairfax County schools, compromised by bringing the $3 million vending program in house. Now, soft-drink and candy machines are unavailable during school hours but open for evening activities and sports events.

“We had to learn the vending business in order to maintain nutritional integrity,” she says.

Point-of-Sales Program
The School District of Palm Beach County in Riviera Beach, Fla., also is taking vending into its own hands with two innovative programs.

Last year, the district purchased 10 vending machines, each of which can hold a wide selection of cold food items. Foodservice staff fills the machines with fresh, house-made products such as sandwiches, tossed salads, tuna and crackers, yogurt and noncarbonated beverages. A variety of price points is available, with larger spaces accommodating combo meals, says Food Service Director Joan Smith.

Smith’s district also has established a cooperative sales program in which her department partners with school clubs and teams in fund-raising efforts. Foodservice provides the student groups hot-and-cold food carts and equipment for beverage service. The students purchase items from the school such as sandwiches, yogurt and bottled water and sell them around campus for a small profit.

Live and Learn
A common issue raised in several recent lawsuits against quick-service restaurant companies is consumers’ own ignorance about the foods they eat. To show students how to maintain well-balanced diets, many districts combine cafeteria programs with formal education.

At Fairfax County schools, McConnell and her team teach students healthy eating habits and even conduct cooking lessons. The district also posts the nutritional breakdown of menu items in every dining room.

Mary Kate Harrison, general manager of student nutrition services for the Hillsborough County School District in Tampa, Fla., says menus and education go hand in hand. To broaden their influence on students’ eating habits, 12 district schools are participating in a nutrition-education program in which educators work with elementary students throughout the week. The district also is working on a play about healthy eating to be featured in a school program that also includes a curriculum guide and test.

“We can’t change a child’s eating habits by [simply] serving them a school lunch,” Harrison says. “If the food component is there but the education component is not, we aren’t going to be successful.”