April 7, 2010
Ms. Andrea Wilson
Re: Food & Nutrition Services Concern
Dear Ms. Wilson:
Thank you for your inquiry about the District’s child nutrition program. In addition to complying with USDA standards, AISD is in compliance with the Texas School Nutrition Policy. The district serves a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables and healthy entrée salads to encourage children to make healthy choices.
We offer fresh vegetables and fruits at least 3 to 4 times per week at all campuses and daily at all high schools. Recipes for cooked vegetables specify using the steamer as the preparation method to ensure quality and nutritional integrity. The district has made efforts to offer and increase the number of whole-grain products to students. We currently have fifteen items that are labeled whole grain. The district ensures that all food items have less than 23 grams of fat, have little to no trans fat in products with efforts to eliminate it from products. Spices are used for seasoning instead of added fat. The district has not used deep fat fryers for at least ten years. Several products offered on our menus are fried in some manner before we receive them; however the district offers 29 entrees at the secondary and 22 entrees at the elementary schools that are not pre-fried, flash-fried or par-fried. The district has purchased French fries that were not fried during processing; however due to student complaints, we are now purchasing a product par-fried in canola oil. The nutrition policy limits all fried potato products to only once per week for elementary and a maximum of three times for junior high students. Baked potatoes are offered as an entrée selection at all grade levels.
The district offers a non-meat item daily to all students. Students are allowed to choose individual components of entrees if they desire to not eat meat. For example, students may choose the spaghetti noodles with or without sauce or meatballs. Fresh entrée salads are also offered at all levels. Yogurt and hot cheese sandwiches are offered as additional choices whenever there is not another meatless option on the menu. Students are not required to take an entrée and may select three of the five components for the meal to qualify for reimbursement through the federal Child Nutrition program. Students are also offered 100% fruit juice daily. This nondairy beverage is purchased in a variety of 100% fruit juices which are apple, fruit blend and orange. Water is also available for purchase at campuses.
The district does not allow any competitive or foods of minimal nutritional value to be sold or offered to elementary students during the school day. Junior high students may not be offered competitive foods within 30 minutes of the meal periods during the day and no secondary students are allowed to purchase carbonated beverages or other foods of minimal nutritional value during the school day. Any competitive foods offered at the secondary level must comply with strict fat, sugar and portion size limits as set by the Texas Department of Agriculture.
AISD provides nutrition education as part of its health curriculum. The Food & Nutrition Services Department also provides nutritional and allergen information on the AISD website for parents and students. Products that are whole grain or reduced fat are identified on the nutritional information. The department conducts classroom and school nutrition education at all campuses upon request. Schools participate in taste testing to select products for our program. Food & Nutrition Services has three dietitians available to assist parents and students with dietary needs and for menu planning. We have over 150 special diets that are managed by the department for students. We are not able to use any products made from nuts such as peanut butter or trail mix in elementary schools due to the large number of life threatening allergies in our district. The Nutrition Education Coordinator works closely with the school nurse, cafeteria staff, the medical authority, parents and students to ensure that special dietary needs are met. This person provides educational material to parents and staff as needed and serves on the AISD School Health Advisory Council. This council consists of parents, nurses, teachers and other administrators organized to improve the health and welfare of our students. It is led by the district Assistant Director for Athletics, Physical Education and Health. Our School Board has also approved a Wellness Policy that ensures we are in compliance with all local, state and federal regulations.
Turning Point Elementary participates in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, a grant that provides fresh fruits and vegetables to students and staff at no cost two times each week, in addition to breakfast and lunch. Food & Nutrition Services provides the nutrition information about the fresh fruit and vegetables and classroom activities for teachers and students. Fifteen schools are eligible for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program in 2010-11, and the District is planning to expand the nutrition program to those schools.
The department offers free breakfast to all students at five elementary schools, regardless of the students’ eligibility for free- or reduced-price meals.
In regard to the suggestion about limiting flavored milk, it is important to ensure our students consume milk daily. According to several studies, if flavored milk was not available, students often choose juice, water or soda over white milk. School districts that offer only white milk serve less milk than districts that offer flavored and unflavored milk. In a 2006 clinical report, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that low fat or fat-free flavored milks with modest amounts of added sweeteners are generally recommended to help optimize the bone health and calcium intakes of children and adolescents. Government data reveals that 90% of teen girls and 70% of teen boys aren’t getting the calcium they need for their diets, which can put them at risk for stress fractures and bone breaks now and osteoporosis later in life. Nutrition research has shown that children who drink flavored milk are more likely to meet daily calcium recommendations compared to their peers who do not drink flavored milk. I have attached supporting information for your review on this subject as well as AISD nutritional information and a food fact sheet.
Our department welcomes suggestions and comments from students, staff and parents. It is our goal to provide nutritious meals that are consumed and enjoyed by all. I would be glad to meet you for lunch on April 19, 2010 at Williams Elementary or any other school of your choice at your convenience. Thanks again for your time and interest in our child nutrition program.
Sincerely,
Jackie Anderson, AISD Food Service Director
cc: Jerry McCullough, Superintendent
Cindy Powell, Associate Superintendent for Business
I have to go over all this slowly because my brain processes things like this slowly. It's a lot to take in and there is a lot of PDF's she emailed to me as well. I uploaded them and they are available in my sidebar to the right.
OK so my first question... I was told that there are currently 15 items labeled as Whole Grain, my first question is do they comply with http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/ because that is the standard by which all things should be labeled wholegrain. If not, we can do far better. and my 2nd question on this is... the chocolate chip cookies must be purchased separately so that offers no benefit to free lunch students, and on the elementary nutritional information listing there are only two items on the entire menu. Really? That's it? Isn't this the age group we need to be starting this revolution in and why aren't our spaghetti noodles whole grains? The easiest and best way to introduce whole grains are in noodles.
More to come...
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