Life Changing Tips
Commonly Asked Industry Questions
How will changes affect my budget?
By changing menu items gradually and carefully, budgets will not be affected. The real cost of change is work not dollars. Processed foods are expensive to begin with due to the cost of manufacturing. By switching to foods that are minimally processed and even un-processed, such as fruits and vegetables, you may even be able to improve your fiscal outlook.
If there are so many causes of Obesity and its related diseases, how am I responsible?
“Childhood overweight and obesity are major concerns in the United States. Recognizing that schools have more influence on the lives of young people than any other institution, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) believes that schools should be taking a leadership role in helping students learn to make healthy eating and physical activity choices.” USDA
I am purchasing what industry has been offered and all of my food is nutritious according to USDA standards, why is there a need to change?
Every district that we are aware of has been following the guidelines for Child Nutrition that have been outlined by the USDA. However, it is painfully evident that these regulations have allowed many not-so-healthy foods on the menu, such as those containing only bleached enriched flours, high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils. What is being sought here is that we make some basic changes in the ingredients in order to radically transform the menu. The nutritional values and child nutrition specifications will still dominate the evaluation process, however, by excluding a few prominent ingredients we can create real change.
How Do I avoid a possible backlash from parents due to the changes in the menu?
In general, we have found that a majority of parents endorse healthier menu alternatives. However, in order to ensure that you are presenting the new choices in the most effective manner, we have created a series of tools that are helpful. These include letters to the parents and the PTA outlining the changes, a “Nutrition Junction” for the back of the menu that details the benefits of the healthy foods and a variety of graphics a logos that you can put on your menu such as the whole grains stamp.
How do I communicate with the parents who will then question the other menu options?
Change cannot be made overnight and this process will require some time to complete. What you are serving currently meets the USDA guidelines for Child Nutrition Programs and you have no need to be defensive about it or ashamed of it. The new direction and new push to healthier foods is a reflection of our need to have local solutions to the current health crisis. If we all work together the process will go much more smoothly. More importantly, if you discuss the healthier options with your children by reading the Nutrition Junction to them, we can increase participation on the days that these options are served. This will ensure that they remain on the menu and will provide incentive for the district to continue its push toward better foods
How do I present this to my district?
We have a variety of tools that you can use, including information about the benefits of the products we are suggesting, letters to PTA and the district, and the “Nutrition Junction” that will help. Moreover, these new tools will help in putting together an effective local wellness policy. It is important that everyone in the district understands the positive changes that can result from better nutrition including fewer absences by students, higher test scores, better behavior, etc. All of these benefits have been documented and that information can be made available to you. Everyone wants the children to be healthier and do better in school and evidence has shown that there is a clear link between nutrition, overall health and performance.
How will these changes affect my already very busy workload?
Choosing better menu options is a gradual process and should not consume very much of your time. By creating a list at your district of the “unacceptable” ingredients, as has been done at Los Angeles USD, your staff can quickly review all new food choices to see if they meet the criteria. Also, the letters, the “Nutrition Junction” and other materials and tools that KidSMart will provide for you will streamline the process of informing the parents, students and administration.