Action Alert: Improve the USDA's Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program in Schools

From the Center for Science in the Public Interest:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program helps low-income elementary schools serve students fresh fruits and vegetables as snacks.
The program reaches nearly three million elementary school children in low-income neighborhoods every year. And it works! Students who participate in the program eat more fruits and vegetables.

USDA is working to improve the program but it needs to hear from you. You can support healthy eating in schools by sending USDA a quick email now!

Sincerely,
Margo G. Wootan, D.Sc.
Director, Nutrition Policy
Center for Science in the Public Interest

What's for Lunch - Mon., 4/23

Whole Wheat Rotini
Bolognese or Marinara
Fresh Garlic Bread
Caesar Salad at the Salad Bar
Orange Wedges

This is a whole grain pasta. The sauce is a Red Pack vitamin enhanced tomato sauce. The sodium at 140mg is much lower than we previously used.  Here are the ingredients: Tomato Concentrate (Water, Tomato Paste), Sugar, Soybean Oil, Potassium Chloride, Onion Powder, Salt, Citric Acid, Spice, Garlic Powder, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Black Pepper, Vitamin E (DL-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate), Natural Flavor, Vitamin A (Retinol Palmitate).


Marinara might be a better choice this year than Bolognese. This is USDA commodity beef.


Plus, salad (shown above) and fresh orange slices. We make the garlic bread!

Weekend Reading

Reading

Wired magazine has an article on the research showing that food borne illness may contribute to chronic disease.

The magazine is also covering the effort to force the FDA to hold hearings on the use of antibiotics in farm animals.  Read more about it over at Grist.

And arsenic isn't just for apple juice anymore - it's in chicken feed.

Watching

Watch the ABC News report that caused the USDA to delay it's plan to let poultry produces inspect themselves and to decrease government inspectors - all while speeding up the production line.

Listening

Bhavani Jaroff's radio show is worth checking out. She interviewed school food activist Chef Ann Cooper recently.  You may remember Bhavani from our healthy cooking class for kids -- which returns on June 1st this year!

Local Fun

Tonight at 7:30 is a fundraising concert at the Sea Cliff School to celebrate our 100th anniversary.

On Sunday, Bailey Arboretum has their monthly Family Nature Adventure - this time on Spring in the Woods.

The Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum will have an Earth Day Craft Extravaganza on Sunday afternoon.

What's for Lunch - Fri., 4/20

Macaroni & Cheese
Barilla Plus Pasta & Wisconsin Cheddar
Caesar Salad at the Salad Bar
Fresh Melon!!

The noodles we're using for the Mac n cheese are Barilla Plus. The ingredients are: Semolina, Grain and Legume Flour, Blend (Lentils, Chickpeas, Egg Whites, Spelt, Barley, Flaxseed, Oat Fiber, Oats), Durum Flour, Niacin, Iron (Ferrous Sulfate), Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid. The sauce is made from Wisconsin Cheddar.

Caesar salad as pictured above with an organic dressing by Chelten.  Plus, fresh melon.

Or - on Fridays this month the alternate entree is the fruit salad plate with cheese and whole wheat crackers.

Food Service Presentation at the School Board Meeting Tonight

Hear first hand from food service consultant Julia van Loon about the changes that have taken place in our cafeterias over the past two years at tonight's board meeting - 8pm, Middle School Cafeteria.

What's for Lunch - Thurs., 4/19

FRENCH BREAD PIZZA
With BBQ Chicken Breast or Plain
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Fresh Fruit Salad

For the pizza, the sauce is a Red Pack vitamin enhanced tomato sauce. The sodium at 140mg is much lower than we previously used.  Here are the ingredients: Tomato Concentrate (Water, Tomato Paste), Sugar, Soybean Oil, Potassium Chloride, Onion Powder, Salt, Citric Acid, Spice, Garlic Powder, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Black Pepper, Vitamin E (DL-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate), Natural Flavor, Vitamin A (Retinol Palmitate).  The cheese is a USDA commodity part skim mozzarella.  Ingredients are cultured pasteurized milk, salt, enzymes. The sodium is 240mg/oz - I think we use 2 ounces.   It is made on white-flour bread so it is not whole grain.

The chicken is from Tyson and described as diced, cooked "chicken meat."

What's for Lunch - Wed., 4/18

BRUNCH FOR LUNCH
Homemade Challah French Toast
w/Orange Rounds
Applegate Turkey Bacon
Salad Bar Veggie Sides
Low-fat mozzarella stick
Cinnamon applesauce

Salad Bar Returns today - and just in time....

It has a catchy name and it's popular - but the meal declared to be "cake" for lunch by our committee's nutritionist - basically white flour bread - isn't good for you.  The syrup is basically HFCS.  They are looking for an affordable maple syrup but do not have one yet - but they will be limiting the serving size this year in the meantime.  Actual lunch from our schools above. This meal has a lot of sugar, simple carbohydrates -- no whole grains.

The turkey bacon is by Applegate.  Here are the ingredients: Turkey (Turkey Used Never Administered Antibiotics, Growth Promotants or Animal By-products), Water, Sea Salt, Maple Sugar, Celery Juice, Onion Powder, Spices, Lactic Acid Starter Culture (not From Milk.)  They promote it as nitrate-free but this NYT article indicates otherwise - and cites the company saying their products have the same level (naturally) of cancer-causing nitrates as conventional brands. Read more about nitrates here.

On the upside, there are fresh veggies on the salad bar plus applesauce with cinnamon.