FRESHMeals@Schools: Seasonal and Cultural Menus“Begin with the end in mind”

Sandy Curwood, RDN, MSDirector, Child Nutrition ServicesConejo Valley Unified School District

School Food• School is an ideal setting to promote health because

of the amount of time that children spend at school each day.

• School meals support nutrition by offering healthy meals served by caring staff, with an education reinforcement environment (marketing materials), and modeling healthy behavior.

FRESHMeals@Schools:

•Menu Planning•Recipe Development•Procurement•Production

Menu Planning Menu planning begins with what you want to accomplish:• Healthy meals students will enjoy• Comply with the NSLP guidelines• Meet budget parameters for your district• Can be done with staff capacity, facilities,

and equipment that you have

Salad Bar to Enhance Vegetable Subgroup OfferingsSalad bars can offer vegetable subgroups:• Fruit• Seasonal crops• Marketing opportunity with signage• Educational materials• Align with the other meal

components• Harvest of the month recipes• Specialty salad

My Plate: My Tray

Recipe Development • Fresh, seasonal ingredients• What is available in your region?• Utilize FRESHMeals@schools’ already standardized,

kid-tested recipes• USDA Foods–stretch your food dollars

Plant Part Salad- Connects to the Classroom

Seasonal and Cultural Recipes

•Take base recipe and add cultural components

Why Eat More Fruits and Vegetables?

• Low in sodium• Eating fruit may lower the risk of

heart disease• Provides antioxidants • Source of key nutrients• Local produce is fresh

Benefits of Using Local Produce

• Sustainability–Seasonality• Increased varieties of crops• Keeping food dollars in our local economy• Less transportation reduces fuel use

(carbon footprint)• Less packaging• Preserves open space• Connects you with your community• Good marketing tool

Benefits of Scratch Cooking• Health:

Control content of sugar, salt, and sodium• Known ingredients• Better taste• Environmental benefits:

Less packagingUse local produce

Scratch vs. Purchase ComparisonScratch made Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich vs. Uncrustables

• Scratch (4.8 oz) = $0.42/sandwich• Loaf of bread = $ 2.00 (28 slices, 2 slices per sandwich) = $.14/sandwich • Jelly Jar = $45.27 for 6, #10 cans. $7.54 per can (can contains 128, 1 oz

servings) = $.07/sandwich • Peanut Butter Jar $ 51.96 for 6, 5# pails. $8.66per pail (pail contains 40,

2 oz servings) = $ .21/sandwich • Uncrustable (2.04 oz) = $0.74/sandwich

  Scratch Peanut Butter and Jelly (4.8oz)

Uncrustable (2.04oz) Uncrustable X 2 (4.8 oz)

Price/Serving $0.42 $0.74 $1.50

Total Calories 569 300 600

Total Fat 29.96g 15g 30g

Saturated Fat 5.92g 2 g 4g

Sodium 469mg 310mg 620mg

Scratch vs. Purchase Comparison  Scratch Pizza

(186g/6.5oz)Premade Tony’s 

(147g/5.2oz)Premade Ton’y X 1.26

(186g/6.5oz)

Price/Serving $0.74 $1.01 $1.27

Total Calories 399 390 491

Total Fat 14.18g 16g 20.16g

Saturated Fat 7.28g 8g 10.08g

Sodium 878.02 mg 730mg 919mg

Procurement

• Menu Recipes Procurement • Writing specifications

• Create bid document

• Establish deliveries

The “BIG” Production: Pulling It All Together

• Use menus and recipes to build menu production worksheets

• Consider staff, meal times, and flow of kitchen• Create production schedules• Aggregate prep to have items ready

for daily production

The Opportunity: Our Work• Making school lunch the “Meal of Choice”• Providing access to healthy foods• Providing learning opportunities for students to

make healthy choices• Giving children hands-on experiences with fresh

fruits and vegetables• Teaching children the agricultural foundation

of their food• Building a relationship between the school

community and local agriculture• Supporting parents as they promote healthy

choices with their children• Promoting buying in-season and local

sustainably grown produce

ConclusionPromoting “healthy eating is entirely consistent with the fundamental mission of schools: educating young people to become healthy, productive citizens who can make meaningful contributions to society.”

Weschsler, H., McKenna, M., Lee, S., & Dietz, W. (2004, December). Role of schools in preventing childhood obesity. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/physicalactivity/pdf/roleofschools_obesity.pdf