As federal guidelines for school meals continue to change, more cafeterias are seeking innovative ways to stay solvent and attract the attention of students.
In 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. While the new law increased the number of children eligible to participate in free school lunch programs, it also set new nutritional standards that must be followed to receive federal funding. Those regulations were based on recommendations from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and required schools to increase the servings of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fat-free milks, while the amounts of sodium, trans fat and saturated fat allowed in foods were reduced.
The new initiative’s goal was to teach healthy eating habits at a younger age and help fight obesity. Many knew the switch would be hard for high school students and some middle schoolers, but felt students would get used to the meals after a few years.
Implementation was easier in some districts more than others. Some already had their own nutrition standards, while Saratoga Springs City School District has participated Farm to School Program for several years. The program “connects schools to farms in their communities, with the goal of serving healthy meals in cafeterias.”
In February of 2013, the USDA proposed new standards to reduce the amount of fat, salt and sugar in high-calorie a la carte items that are often sold in school cafeterias.
Reaction
Many school district officials agreed with the push for healthier foods in school, while some were afraid any new regulations could hurt sales in self-sustaining programs still adjusting to new regulations.
This was the case at Bethlehem Central, where the number of lunches sold decreased over the first three months of the new regulations. The district’s former Food Services Director, Paul Franchini, said the average number of lunches sold per day went from 1,350 across the district to less than 1,000. There are about 5,000 students in BC schools.
In January, before the new USDA standards on a la carte items took place, Niskayuna Central opted to no longer participate in the National School Lunch Program because they found students were throwing out more of their lunch than normal. This means the district would need to fund the entire program itself without taking federal funding.
“You are going to be heroes among a lot of kids,” said Board member John Buhrmaster at the time. “The program you had before was better than the one dictated by the federal government and the kids understood that, and they will be very appreciative.”
Bethlehem schools soon followed suit at the high school level, as sales continued to decline and more kids brought their lunch from home.
Superintendent Thomas Douglas said the district “worked hard” to implement changes to the lunch program, but for high school students the program wasn’t working. “The district has always provided healthy choices … throughout all of our discussions, we always maintained that healthy choices will continue to be offered,” Douglas said.
The USDA eventually granted schools some flexibility when it came to the portion sizes of lean protein and whole grains, after some students nationwide complained of leaving school hungry. USDA’s Undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon announced in January of this year those changes would remain permanent.
“USDA is focused on improving childhood nutrition and empowering families to make healthier food choices by providing science-based information and advice, while expanding the availability of healthy food,” said the agency in a news release.
New initiatives
Although some of the guidelines were changed, sales did not return to previous levels. To combat this, schools began to get creative.
Voorheesville Central School District opened its kitchen to the community through a new “Meals to go” dinner program. The initiative is aimed at keeping its school lunch program in the black after the program had a net loss of around $32,150 in 2013, compared to approximately $22,800 this year.
The to-go dinners were thought up by Chef and District Cook Manager Tim Mulligan, since Voorheesville has also opted out of the federal lunch program.
“I actually think it has made it easier,” Mulligan previously said, “Because we actually have the kids back in here buying what they want, and we don’t have too much waste.”
Dinners for two cost $15, while dinners for four cost $25. Most come with an entree, pasta, salad and bread. A total of 1,281 meals have been sold since the program began, with the most popular meal being the chicken parmesan dinner.
The district also started Black Bird Cafe at the high school, an after school dining option for students that offers sandwiches, salads and snacks for those who may not make it home for dinner before practice or a game.
Bethlehem Central began a similar initiative.
Along with ramping up the sales of a la carte items at the high school with more “grab-and-go” options between classes, the district opened a cafe called BC Blend that sells coffees, egg sandwiches and pastries. It later opened its own after school dining option with paninis, salads and healthy snacks like yogurt.
To go along with the additional sales, the district has been working on its marketing campaigns and better education of students. A committee was created made up of parents, students and administration to determine the nutritional standards for the high school.
It was announced last month a new food services director had been found for Bethlehem following the departure of Franchini in April. Allissa Eiser, who currently works at a school district in Washington, will take over the role in August.
Superintendent Tom Douglas said Eiser did two interviews via webcam before flying out to Bethlehem. Once here, she did another interview and then did an “Iron Chef-type” challenge where she was asked to create a meal using ingredients in the high school cafeteria and following specific guidelines.
Eiser created a chicken dish using honey and various spices. She was told only be cooking for district officials, but then was surprised when six high school students were also selected to participate.
“Everyone liked what she created. Not only was it nutritious, but it also tasted good,” said Douglas.
The new director will be revamping the menus, mostly at the middle school and elementary levels to help the younger students get past their reservations about healthy eating. She will also do visits to classrooms to give nutrition presentation and plans to work more with students on educating them about their diets.
“Having Allissa Eiser cook for us as part of the final interview process was a way to test her creativity and resourcefulness, while also assessing how she interacted with our staff,” said Douglas in a later interview. “Her ability to create meals that are appealing to students while maintaining a nutritious and balanced menu is a quality in a food services director that we look for.”
Reporter John Purcell contributed to this article.