Inside School Food

Food trucks are rolling statements about some the values Americans hold dearest: independence, entrepreneurship, and mobility. Authenticity. Creativity. Affordability. With the movement growing so fast across the nation, it was only a matter of time before school food innovators started getting in on it. Today we profile two programs in sunny Florida, where hip new trucks can work year-round, winning teenage converts for healthy school meals.

“The students are more aligned to things they can see being made. They feel that because they can see people working on the truck and the items being assembled that it’s different from what they’re being served in the cafeteria. Some of them are floored to discover that it’s the exact same product.”

–Jennifer Smith on Inside School Food

“Jacksonville has become a stronghold for food trucks. There’s a large buzz around town about them… We use our food trucks not just at school but at community events, to spread the gospel of school food. It’s stealth approach.”

–Brian Giles on Inside School Food

Whether your sales up or down, there has to be a reason. So what’s behind the participation slump among students who don’t qualify for free or reduced-priced meals? Some school nutrition professionals say it’s a clear case of cause and effect: paying kids don’t like the new menus, so they’re not buying. But a recent report from the Food Resource and Action Center describes a much more complex set of circumstances. So does the experience of one well-to-do Kansas high school, where competitive foods are losing ground to the healthier, reimbursable “deal meal.” This program has been sponsored by The Tabard Inn. located in Washinton DC.

“The vast majority of schools are offering competitive foods. USDA research says that competitive foods drive students away from the school meals program. They create stigma, especially for middle and high school students, where it’s not necessarily the cool thing to be participating in the school meals program”

–Jessie Hewins on Inside School Food

“We were anticipating a drop in our a la carte sales, just like all the other schools implementing Smart Snacks. However, our reimbursable meals are up. Part of that is due to the fact that we’ve turned everything inside of the serving area into a potential reimbursable meal. We’re calling it a ‘meal deal.'”

“We encourage the high schools kids to take a whole apple or banana with them, to eat in study hall or before practice, and a lot of them are doing that. It’s the change we want to see. The more popular students are being role models in this, and that’s helping a lot.”

–Amy Droegemeier on Inside School Food

It’s been more than five years since the inception of FoodCorps, the AmeriCorps division that sends young service members into school gardens, classrooms, cafeterias, and kitchens, where they’re tasked with generating excitement and support for healthy whole food. Today’s guests describe how it’s done. Idealism is the catalyst. But it’s creativity, tenacity, and–most important–humility that really make it work. This program was brought to you by Visit Napa Valley.

What’s behind the “True Food” revolution in Minneapolis Public Schools? Ambitious purchasing of industrial-strength gadgets—cook-chill tanks, vacuum baggers, a meat shredder, a “gentle mixer,” and a 30-foot-long sous vide cooker—may be costly, but food costs are down, participation is up, and unpronounceable additives are out. This program was brought to you by Rt. 11 Potato Chips.

“Food has to look good so people eat it. It starts with the eyes.” [09:00]

—Ricardo Abbott on Inside School Food

“When you’re making your own recipes you have control over what goes in that recipe. Everything we make here, we’re very choosy and picky about the products we cook.” [14:00]

–Bertrand Weber on Inside School Food

This week on Inside School Food, for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, join Audrey Rowe, Administrator of the Food and Nutrition Service at USDA, in reflection on socioeconomic justice in school nutrition programs–historically, currently, and going forward as we approach Child Nutrition Reauthorization 2015. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market.

“Instead of the dialogue focusing on how we provide more resources to school meals programs, it seems to be centered on how do we curtail implementation, or make changes to the program that I fear will take us back instead of putting us forward.”

“Schools and parents need to think about the amount of time students have to eat. In some schools, by the time children get their tray and sit down, they have just 10 minutes to eat. If you have fruits and vegetables that require a little more chew time, they’re not going to get through them!”

“One of the reasons I travel constantly is that I’m able to get the media into the schools to experience what the children are experiencing. I’ve had reporters say, this is not my school lunch; this is so much better!”

–Audrey Rowe on Inside School Food

There is perhaps no city in the nation more strongly associated with fish than Monterey, CA, home to the world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium and the setting for John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row. But most of the seafood harvested from local waters is processed in China and sold to international markets. At Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, food service director Jenn Gerard wants to do something about that. Learn how she’s teamed up with a pioneering CSF (community supported fishery) to purchase Pacific Grenadier for her popular fish tacos. This program was brought to you by Tabard Inn.

We kick off the new year with Dayle Hayes, the activist blogger behind “School Meals That Rock,” a multi-platform social media campaign that draws attention to news of healthy, delicious, sustainable progress in K-12 food service. Last year there was plenty of that kind of news. And there’s lots more to celebrate–along with lots of media negativity to deflect–as we move towards Child Nutrition Reauthorization 2015. Want to join the movement? It’s easy. All you need is a smart phone, a Facebook account, and a board on Dayle’s Pinterest page. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market.

“Schools themselves are kind of late getting on Facebook and social media and recognizing promotional opportunities. Many nutritional directors don’t have the self confidence to get on social media and toot their own horn. Many of the bashing going on around school food makes them more hesitant to take those steps.” [05:00]

–Dayle Hayes on Inside School Food

It took a village to produce New School Cuisine: Nutritional and Seasonal Recipes for School Cooks by School Cooks. This pioneering new book features 78 rigorously tested, fully reimbursable dishes that Vermont children have enthusiastically voted for with their sporks. “The final ingredients added to each recipe,” write the authors, “are dedication, tenacity, patience and kindness. These ingredients infuse the recipes with the hope that we can change lives by helping our students understand food, enjoy food and choose foods that support lifelong health.” This program was brought to you by Brooklyn Slate.

“I can’t open a cookbook now without having a deep appreciation for the people who put it together. Now we know what goes into making somebody’s recipe usable for other people.” [11:00]

— Kathy Alexander on Inside School Food

“Bringing local foods into a school means nothing if the kids won’t eat it.” [28:00]

–Abbie Nelson on Inside School Food

Big districts have long employed chefs, and smaller ones are increasingly relying on them as consultants. But what happens when a mid-size district hires a classically trained restaurant industry veteran as food service director? In this episode, we talk to two CIA alumni who love the job, and whose scratch-cooked, delicious, USDA-compliant meals programs are in the black. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market.

What’s really behind the controversy over Healthy Hunger Free Kids 2010? According to today’s guests, it’s dollars that don’t make sense. Join Gitta Grether-Sweeney of Portland (OR) Public Schools Nutrition Services and Gary Vonck, a national leader in K-12 food service sales, for their take on rising food and labor costs, diminished revenues, and reimbursement rates that aren’t keeping pace with the required changes in many districts. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market.

–Gitta Grether-Sweeney on Inside School Food

“It’s the smaller schools that struggle because they dont have the multiple layers of support.” [26:00]

“Less than 15% of the schools across america send forecasts to their distributors or manufactures of choice – that just kills the communication piece.” [27:00]

–Gary Vonck on Inside School Food

Food service leaders from six of the nation’s very largest districts–New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, and Orlando–have joined together over shared reform goals: lower prices, more sustainable production practice, and a pronounced shift in not just what’s served, but how–including how we talk to kids about food. And who best to consult with about that? The French, bien sur. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market.

Photo: Pierre Bonnard, The Children’s Meal, 1895

“As the six largest districts, we’re trying to be good custodians of the relationships we have with the national companies that influence the entire industry for school meals… When we’re talking with manufacturers and suppliers, we’re able to have an open dialogue with them that is very meaningful. Our unified voice is going to help them to be successful with all school districts, not just the largest.” [07:00]

–Stephen O’Brien on Inside School Food

“We really feel like there’s great opportunity for the community and legislators to start looking at our childhood nutrition programs as education programs. School meals are no different than transportation and textbooks and it goes to support academic performance of the students.” [20:00]

–Dora Rivas on Inside School Food

Three very big districts—Riverside, San Diego, and Oakland—are taking farm to school to the next level with an enormous, year-round commitment to sustainably grown California chicken. Their ambitious purchasing initiative, which has been several years in the making, is designed to send a clear and certain message to the poultry industry: Clean up your act. Our students’ health is at stake. Find out more on this week’s episode of Inside School Food. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market.

“Any professional working in this field climbs this incredibly high hill in terms of their education on food systems when they engage in these projects.” [12:00]

–Ariane Michas on Inside School Food

What community isn’t proud of its school trophies? Across Georgia, there’s a new kind of prize that recognizes exemplary work in farm-to-school, named after a tasty local vegetable. And winning at any level—gold, silver, or bronze—can generate the kind of excitement and support that a good school meals program deserves. This program was brought to you by White Oak Pastures.

“We’re creating a real experience around food for kids.” [7:30]

—Erin Croom on Inside School Food

“Educating the student through the school nutrition program is truly educating the whole family.” [23:50]

—Kathy Peavy on Inside School Food

Farm to school purchasing pursues social, environmental, economic, and public health goals. How to evaluate progress in reaching them, and how to share ideas and learning across a diverse, national community of practice? In this episode, learn about two new resources that are designed to help. This program was brought to you by Rolling Press

Family farms dominate the agricultural landscape of the Lower Michigan Peninsula, growing lots more than those celebrated sour cherries. Romanesco and kohlrabi, for instance, which the children of Traverse City Area Public Schools have come to enjoy are grown there. Learn how the district is drawing in local growers with the help of a network of community partners. This program was brought to you by White Oak Pastures.

“The development of the wineries and the growing of the grapes have spawned a whole new industry in Northwest Michigan.” [5:00]

—Mark Coe on Inside School Food

“It’s a part of our wellness policy, to promote as much scratch cooking as possible.” [22:10]

—Tom Freitas on Inside School Food

We’re so excited about Farm to School Month 2014 that we’re starting two days early. Join us for a walk through USDA’s totally indispensable, very user-friendly guide to launching, bidding, and buying farm to school. Author Christina Conell talks about what’s in it, including best practice examples from all over the nation. This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA.

“As a taxpayer, I want to make sure schools are getting the best products for the best price at the best quantity – but at the same time I want to make sure they’re getting the product they want.” [09:00]

“The most oft cited advice I’ve heard from school districts is baby steps. It can start with one product, once a month. It doesn’t need to be big changes right away.” [30:00]

–Christina Conell on Inside School Food

Want fresh, USDA-compliant meals that kids will get excited about? How about putting kids in charge? Cooking Up Change does just that. Subjected to the same tight budgets, strict nutrition standards, and logistical challenges that adult school menu planners face every day, teams of high school culinary students in ten cities compete to create healthy school lunches that their peers will enjoy. The winners make their way to Washington, DC, every spring to offer samples to legislators and put student voices front-and-center in the national dialogue about school food. Who’s learning more–the students or the politicians? Listen and decide for yourself. This program was brought to you by Cain Vineyard & Winery.

“We will eat healthy food as long as it’s good and looks appetizing. Everybody’s tired of pizza and chicken patties.” [31:00]

–Shawnlaun Kelly on Inside School Food

A school cafeteria can be a highly charged environment. Crowds of students press into the line, eager to zip through so they can get to their friends and recess. They’re hungry. It’s very loud. And they’re only children. Can we really expect them to focus on healthy choices? Experts from the Cornell Center of Behavioral Economics say we can, with the help of simple, low or no-cost interventions at the point of sale. It’s just marketing, but it can work like magic. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market

“When you look through a lunch room you really do have to examine it like a grocery store or a space where kids could purchase food.” [18:00]

Kate Hoy on Inside School Food

Inside School Food kicks off the new school year with a discussion of the nutrition standards mandated by the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010. This school year, SFAs are being asked to do even more–more fruit, more whole grain, and less sodium, along with new, very strict guidelines on a la carte and snack items. Can they do it? Two food service directors from medium-size districts at opposite ends of the country weigh in on their successes and challenges to date, and their hopes and concerns for 2014-15. This program was brought to you by Tabard Inn.

“We in Washington had a nutrition policy that was required in the 05-06 school year, so we’ve been on this path for almost 10 years now.” [05:00]

–Karen Brown on Inside School Food

If we had more commodities it would help American farms, give us food and be a win-win situation instead of just asking for an increase of money. Times are tough everywhere.” [25:00]

–Donna Martin on Inside School Food

Explore school lunch around the world on the season finale of Inside School Food. Why are we so riveted by pictures of school meals in other countries? Perhaps because it’s a shared experience the world over, and perhaps because these images are so rich in information. “Unpack a school lunch,” writes guest Andrea Curtis, author of What’s For Lunch: How Schoolchildren Eat Around the World, “and you’ll discover that food is connected to issues that matter to everyone—things such as climate change, health, and inequality.” This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market.

(Photo of school lunch in Brazil by Yvonne Duivenvoorden)

“I think school lunch is truly an opportunity to pass on values.” [09:00]

–Andrea Curtis on Inside School Food

“Agriculture in brazil is actually dominated by large corporate farming. What’s surprising is that despite all this, over 84% of all rural enterprises in Brazil are family farms.” [28:00]

–Cecilia Rocha on Inside School Food