Texas Schools Earn High Marks for Healthy Cafeteria Food

HOUSTON, May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Can this really be happening? The deep fat fryers are gone, salad bars are springing up, and schoolchildren are still eating their lunch. That's good news for Chad Holcomb, the research and development chef and test kitchen manager for the Houston Independent School District. Responsible for 264,000 school lunches daily, Mr. Holcomb goes to great lengths to ensure that what's put on the menu is well received.

"We're in the process of opening a new bakery and cook-chill facility that will allow us to maintain greater control in developing healthier food, including muffins and rolls made with lower fat and fewer calories," explains Mr. Holcomb. "We have already implemented healthier choices by flavoring our vegetables with Butter Buds and using Buttermist pan spray for toasting and making grilled cheese sandwiches."

What are Butter Buds and Buttermist? According to Jim Dodge, Director of Food Service Sales for Racine, Wisconsin's Butter Buds Food Service, both products are all natural, zero calorie, zero fat, and zero cholesterol alternatives to traditional butter applications. "Additionally, our company has developed other natural, low fat dairy item replacements, such as Alfredo Buds and Cheddar Buds, which are cost effective, healthy solutions for food service managers involved in school food service and elsewhere," adds Mr. Dodge.

Nationally, Child Nutrition Programs are required by law to comply with the United States Department of Health and Human Services 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. School lunch menus are designed to provide one-third of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for protein, vitamins A and C, iron, calcium and calories for school-age children. For the chefs developing school lunches, following these guidelines translates into more vegetables, fruits and whole grain products, while limiting consumption of saturated fat, cholesterol and especially trans fatty acids.

Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District (CFISD), third largest in Texas, is also successfully delivering healthier student meals -- 98,000 times each day. "Our salad production has doubled over the past couple of years," boasts Matt Morgan, CFISD's Food Service Director. "One important aspect of my job is to introduce students to healthy choices. We offer 5 salads, including spinach salad and a very popular grilled chicken salad every day." Lisa Widener, a registered dietitian working with Mr. Morgan, helps to ensure that menus are designed to provide maximum nutrient value while keeping calories, fat, and especially saturated fat at acceptable levels. "In addition to offering plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, we also modify existing recipes to make them healthier. Our chocolate chip cookie recipe contains less than 30% fat thanks to substituting apple sauce for margarine."

Evidently, the Texas Public School Nutrition Policy, developed to supplement federal policies defined by the USDA's Food and Nutrition Policy, is producing promising results for Texas schoolchildren and is inspiring other states to follow their lead.

GBA Health Communications

CONTACT: Terri Slater, GBA Health Communications, +1-561-241-8900,
tslater@gbafl.com