From Nicole Lewis: Joining forces with other Glendale schools

[Michelle Rojas]

Hi Group,

Please take a look at the list below which I drafted from Janice’s
notes from our last meeting. Once we are satisfied, I will forward to
Jennifer/Franklin and others schools. I expanded on the goal and
specifics regarding contents. Do we have a target range for where we
want the content levels to be? Please offer your comments/edits

Michelle: I’m not sure how to get this email conversation over to our
Google Groups. I need to spend some time getting up to speed on how
that works, but not wanting to have another day pass, I wanted to get
this circulated.

Doreen: Hi! Do you want to weigh in on the Goal/Targets before it
goes out to folks outside Edison? Interested in your comments.

Goal: For Edison’s (GUSD) cafeteria to offer food choices that exceed
the USDA standards, consistent with the theme of our school (District)
and in support of optimal health.

Specific Targets:

1. Eliminate fast food.
2. Lower sugar content.
3. Lower fat content.
4. Lower sodium content.
5. Increase fiber content.
6. Reconfigure food placement in cafeteria – salad bar is first.
7. Educate students on cafeteria use/food education.
8. Implement Farm to School programs.

Thanks.

Nicole

[Michelle Rojas]

Per my neighbor's recommendation, I looked at the California PTA
website (www.capta.org), to see what their stand is on this issue, and
to see if we can copy their language as we draft our goals/
recommendations. CAPTA uses standards developed by the Institute of
Medicine of the National Academies report:
School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children (2010), which can
be found here: http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12751&page=R1

It can be read in its entirety online, but to download, we'd have to
pay for the PDF.

Here's what I found that might be relevant for us at this goal-setting
point:

1. Recommendations for meal planning:
"To align school meals with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and
improve the healthfulness of school meals, the Food and Nutrition
Service should adopt standards for menu planning that increase the
amounts of fruits, vegetables and whole grains; increase the focus on
reducing the amounts of saturated fat and sodium provided; and set a
minimum and maximum level of calories."

I think this addresses our goals as well. For those of us worried
about added sugar and fat, the min/max level of calories could address
that point. The chapter, and table 7.3 go into further detail with
specific numbers. We can copy the whole table 7.3 as an image in our
recommendations.

http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12751&page=120#p2001a3a19970120001


2.Sample Menus

This appendix has a very comprehensive list of menus that can help
decision-makers visualize how these standards can be implemented on a
day-to-day basis. I was very encouraged when I see the menus include
foods that are familiar and appetizing to children. These manus can
also serve as a starting point for negotiations with the different
vendors. For example, we can give all vendors the same 2-week menu
for breakfast and lunch, so they can provide their quotes and the
District's food director can compare apples-to-apples (pun intended).

http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12751&page=331

If you agree that we can use this language in drafting our goals for
GUSD, please let me know if I can be of assistance in retrieving the
document for our use.

Have a good evening, everybody!