Inside School Food

The USDA definition of a “food hub” is loose enough to include many iterations of the concept. Whatever the business model, most hubs aspire to increase access to local whole foods across the socioeconomic spectrum. And there’s no better way to accomplish that than through Farm to School. Today we profile a pioneering hub that is making great strides in serving 18 districts in rural northeastern Iowa, helping school buyers quadruple local purchasing—produce, dairy, pork, and beef.

Today we welcome the new USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, for another deep dive into conversation about the future of school nutrition programs. While the delay of Child Nutrition Reauthorization can hardly be described as a good thing, it does give us more time to assess where we are and what’s changed in recent months with the emergence of new leaders, data, and research. We ask Dr. Wilson what, if anything, may impact current USDA positions on CNR.

Inside School Food asked listeners to call in about their favorite back-to-school innovations, and they did, from all over the country. Today, with the help of co-host Dayle Hayes, we bring you six of these messages about fresh ideas that are making a difference. Our selection is highly diverse. Because when you’re growing and improving your program, there’s a multitude of needs to think about, and multitudes of strategies to consider for meeting them.

“Millbrae School District food service staff prepare tomatillo sauce for California Thursday luncheon.”

To kick off the school year, we are joined by the School Nutrition Association’s newly elected President, Jean Ronnei, and Vice President Lynn Harvey. They take on these roles—and this conversation—at an exceptionally challenging and sensitive time for SNA and the school nutrition community as a whole. On today’s agenda: Is school nutrition really a “battleground”? What’s the difference between “flexibility” and “rollback”? Just how much controversy in school food would fade into the background if reimbursements were to keep up with costs? If students were given enough time to eat? This program was brought to you by Cain Vineyard & Winery.

Many American children have developed a strong, stubborn preference for
sweet and salty processed food before their second birthdays. If they
haven’t, it could well be because they became accustomed to healthier
flavors much earlier, beginning in breast milk or even in utero. What
babies taste in the first weeks and months of life really matters, says
Dr. Julie Menella of the Monell Chemical Senses Center. Her research
suggests that school meals can only ever be just one of a much larger
set of interventions, and that some of them need to occur before
students are even born. This program was brought to you by Cain Vineyard & Winery

“During childhood we learn what to eat, how to eat, how food should taste. Many children aren’t getting the experience to learn to like (healthy) food.” [11:00]

“It can’t just be school, it starts in the home. As much as we’re focusing on the school nutrition program we have to focus on the barriers for healthy eating for families at home.” [13:00]

–Dr. Julie Menella on Inside School Food

For decades, fish at school mostly meant one thing: breaded fingers and
patties–tasty enough with ketchup, but completely detached from their
natural origins. That’s beginning to change in regions with access to
local fisheries and processors. There’s keen interest in New England
districts with strong local procurement programs and cultural affinity
for seafood. Learn how a New Bedford processor is creating new
opportunities for the sustainably managed Gulf of Maine fishery, with
fresh-frozen products for K-12 that are affordable, kid-friendly, and
completely recognizable as fish. This program was brought to you by Cain Vineyard and Winery.

“One mans trash is another mans treasure, in this case one chef’s trim is another mans treasure, I’m just using the smaller fillets.” [3:00]

“Our mission is to try and get more seafood eaten by our young people.” [14:00]

— Andrew Wilkinson and Melissa Honeywood on Inside School Food

These days, we hear a lot about districts in well-to-do communities dropping out of federal meals programs. While the numbers are in fact miniscule, the conversation about them is significant. Dwindling revenue from paying students is a grave issue for many. On today’s episode, join Wesley Delbridge, Food and Nutrition Director for Chandler Unified School District, to hear about radical marketing and design solutions that are generating excitement and trust among middle class students and their parents. This program was brought to you by Cain Vineyard and Winery

“We could have Bobby Flay back there cooking but if the kids have a bad experience it won’t matter. Food is more social than it is anything.” [10:00]

— Wesley Delbridge on Inside School Food

Here’s one of the surest signs we have that swift and substantial progress in school food is possible: Beginning this fall, the nation’s largest district will not only be serving on compostable plates, but actually composting them. The introduction of the new tableware is occurring simultaneously with a city-wide ban on most single-use, non-recyclable Styrofoam—a giant first step in Mayor Bill DeBlasio’s ambitious “Zero Waste” campaign. Astonishingly, this story begins just six years ago, with a grassroots collaboration with the city’s Department of Education, spearheaded by artist and NYC parent Debby Lee Cohen. “I think what we learned,” she reflects today, “is that this is how democracy is supposed to work.”

With so many elements of Child Nutrition Reauthorization 2015 hotly contested, it’s good to know we can be bullish about Farm to School. After a successful first round of USDA grants under CNR 2010, advocates are hoping to leverage strong bipartisan support to triple funding to $15M. But as the Farm to School movement matures, the conversation is not just about new grants. It’s about institutionalizing the presence of local food in schools, and how else this year’s CNR can help that happen. This program was brought to you by Cain Vineyard & Winery.

“Farm to School is simple a bi-partisan issue….it’s one of those issues that works across the isle. It affects child health as much as it does farmer wealth. Since February we’ve continued to get more members of Congress to want to jump on the bill and support it. It’s a real opportunity to make other school meal programs just work better. When kids are growing the food in school gardens and meeting the farmer they have that connection. They’re gonna be more willing to taste and try and like new and healthier foods.” [13:00]

–Helen Dombalis on Inside School Food

“The obstacles [in implementing Farm to School in Kentucky] still lie with procurement and distribution. They present our biggest challenge.” [23:00]

–Tina Garland on Inside School Food

Is Child Nutrition Reauthorization 2015 moving too fast for you? Join the club. We all feel that way, and it’s still only June. Today’s episode will help. Jacqlyn Schneider, Policy Director for the Senate Agriculture Committee under Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, is here to walk us through the process. She’ll review some of this huge bill’s many moving parts, and tell us what to expect—and how to weigh in—in the weeks and months to come. This program was brought to you by Cain Vineyard and Winery.

First off, stop calling it a “cafeteria.” And don’t just re-configure the physical space and the equipment, but the entire dining experience. San Francisco Unified School District is doing just that, in partnership with one of the world’s sharpest, most sought-after design firms. More than 1,300 school community stakeholders have weighed in on a vision for the future that looks and feels both radical and perfectly natural—a paradigm shift away from assembly-line style service to more intuitive models that comfortably set young customers before their food, and one another. This program was brought to you by Fairway Market.

“We wanted to design a food system and a meal program that was reflective of the values in our community.” [5:20]

“How might we use technology to both engage with the students and give them an active voice and control over their meal program but also provide a way for Student Nutrition Services to get more real time information from students.” [28:00]

—Zetta Reicker on Inside School Food

In West Virginia, many children suffer from levels childhood poverty, hunger, and obesity well above the national average. To meet this troubling challenge, the state’s Department of Education has been exceptionally energetic in its top-down efforts to win student acceptance of healthier menus while eliminating costly inefficiencies in the system. Is it working? Rick Goff, Executive Director of the Office of Child Nutrition, says it is. Join us to hear about his compelling testimony before the Senate Agriculture Committee last month, in its first hearing related to CNR 2015. This program was brought to you by Cain Vineyard & Winery.

“We had to do something [about childhood obesity]. We could no longer turn a blind eye to our school food systems.” [07:00]

“We want to do what’s in the child’s best interest.At the end of the day, that will be our guiding principle.” [10:00]

“You can’t just have a healthy room in a building, the whole building has to be healthy.” [12:00]

“I think you’ll see a day when the meal service is treated just like the rest of the learning experience.” [38:00]

–Rick Goff on Inside School Food

Cyndie Story has consulted in school kitchens in 37 states, where she has spread a gospel of work simplification that can transform the lives of food service staff. The humility and humor with which she approaches the job makes her an inspirational figure. “I love to laugh,” she says, “and once we laugh, learning begins.” Join us for a tour of Chef Cyndie’s best practices, honed over 25 years on the job. This program was brought to you by Cain Vineyard and Winery.

“My dad always told me in order to do well in a job you need to know how to do every part of the operation.” [9:00]

“They don’t ask for things, they are going to figure out that problem in the most inventive way [School Cooks].” [14:00]

— Chef Cyndie Story on Inside School Food

Where do you set your goal for local food purchasing? How about 50 percent of your total food budget? How about trying to do this in Maine? In Portland, ME, Mayor Michael Brennan believes it can be done; and the school district’s food service director, Ron Adams, is getting close. No, they don’t have extra money. And Portland students are as resistant to change as kids anywhere else. But there’s deep political will, and pressure, in a city widely regarded as one of the foodiest and most locavore in the nation. This program was brought to you by Cain Vineyard and Winery.

“We made a great opportunity for the students to understand the food and then enjoy the food.” [28:00]

— Ron Adams on Inside School Food

El Monte City School District is celebrated as a leading edge reformer well beyond the cafeteria. Over the years, this high-needs district has established a rigorous, comprehensive approach to student wellness that attempts to touch every aspect of their lives in and out of school. The exuberant press and many awards it’s attracted a along the way are enough to make El Monte seem charmed. But there’s no secret sauce. They’re just tenacious here, and they’ve been that way for years. This program was brought to you by Cain Vineyard & Winery.

Since July 2014, an interim USDA regulation on foods sold outside the reimbursable meals program requires healthier offerings nationwide. But questions remain. Many of the new “Smart Snacks” are reformulated copycats of highly processed stuff sold outside school. In some states, liberal waivers of restrictions on bake sales and junk-food fundraisers keep sugar levels high. Should we be worried? Not necessarily, say today’s guests. Districts can choose to adopt (or retain) stricter standards, setting a successful example that others can emulate. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market

Amid widespread complaints about discarded school food, enter a new study that tells us things may be not as bad as they seem. Careful measurements of plate waste taken in twelve Connecticut schools in 2012, 2013, and 2014 tell a different story, of students eating better and wasting less as they adjust to changes on their lunch trays. Lead author Marlene Schwartz, Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, unpacks this new data and reviews the study’s conclusions.

Of course students eat better when healthy food is prepared with care and skill. We all knew that. Now we have important new research to back us up, the result of a year-long collaboration between the Harvard School of Public Health and Project Bread’s Chefs in Schools program. The study’s two leaders–the head author and the head chef–describe the complexity involved in making targeted changes in the school kitchen and cafeteria while systematically assessing the impacts. This program was brought to you by Visit Napa Valley.

Processed foods: Whether you need them oven-ready or as components for speed scratch, you probably want them without additives you don’t recognize or can’t pronounce. You want fresh and vivid flavors kids will go for, and you would prefer to know where and how the ingredients were grown. Possible? Two progressive vendors say yes, if you can make just a little extra wiggle room in your budget. This program was sponsored by Cain Vineyard and Winery.

“Over the last ten years, there’s been a huge push to bring better food into the school market… School food directors are promoting the attributes of our products to parents and students to say, “hey, school food service is changing.” [16:00]

— Rod Friesen on Inside School Food

“I think that, regardless of how the nutrition rules change, the desire we’re seeing in the school marketplace for clean label, healthier items is going to continue to grow… Parents are demanding healthier foods. Children are too. I’ve had 6th graders ask to see our nutrition labels!”

— Toni Antonellis on Inside School Food

It’s planning season for USDA summer meals sponsors–the people who know that, for children from food-insecure homes, the last day of school isn’t necessarily a happy occasion. Currently, only a small fraction of students eligible for federally funded summer meals actually get them. Today’s guests talk about why, and what school districts can do to help meet the need. The best programs, they say, are served up with sides of fun. This program was sponsored by Cain Vineyard and Winery.

“We heard from the Ohio Association of Food Banks about a 12-year-old boy who rode his bicycle five miles along the highway to get to the (summer meal) site. When he got there, he asked, ‘Can I take a lunch home to my little brother? He’s not old enough to ride his bike here.’ … But the kids aren’t permitted to take meals to go.”

— Jillien Meier on Inside School Food

“I feel that if we’re going to make a sustainable difference in ending hunger in our community that we need to involve as many partners as we can… We partner to bring community garden boxes to our schools, and families adopt them. We provide them with the plants, the seeds, the dirt, the tools, and we have a master gardener on hand during summer feeding.”

— Winnie Brewer on Inside School Food