Leon County School District Nutrition Services Department Director: Rae Hollenbeck, SNS Supervisors: Pam Campbell Tom Hollern Earlene Preston

Mission The Mission of the Department of Nutrition Services is to provide a variety of appealing, nutritious, and safe meals in an environment that is respectful of each student’s needs and differences. Nutritional Services employees are committed to the success and excellence of every Leon County School District student in a cost effective and efficient program.

Nutritional Services is self-supporting Student payments and USDA reimbursement of meals are used to pay ALL nutrition service costs (labor, food, supplies, energy, equipment and indirect costs to the school district). Funds generated by Nutritional Services can only be used for Nutritional Services expenditures as per USDA regulations.

What Are School Meals? The National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs are federally funded programs that assists schools and other agencies in providing nutritious meals to children at reasonable prices. In addition to financial assistance, the program provides donated commodity foods to help reduce lunch program costs.

The Leon County School District Nutritional Services Department supports the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans in conjunction with the USDA Food Guide Pyramid. Menus are planned by a registered dietitian to include a variety of foods that are low in cholesterol, sugar, and fat. Menu selections are designed to increase breads and grains, fruits and vegetables, as well as other food sources rich in vitamins and minerals.

What has the Leon County School’s Nutritional Services Department done to help combat childhood obesity?

Obesity: A Multi-Faceted Issue Increased Consumption Food is widely available & inexpensive More away from home eating Larger portions Impact of overweight parents Decreased Activity Less physical work More sedentary lifestyle Reduced PE in schools Increased screen time

Meals served under the NSLP must, by federal law, meet nutrition guidelines based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Eat a variety of foods Choose plenty of whole grains Choose plenty of fruits & vegetables Choose a diet with 30% or less of calories from fat and less than 10% saturated fat Lunches must provide at least 1/3 of the daily Recommended Dietary Allowances for protein, iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C.

USDA Minimum Requirements for Elementary School Lunch Energy Allowance 667-825 calories Total Fat No more than 30% calories from fat Saturated Fat Les than 10% calories from fat Protein 10 grams Calcium 286 mg Iron 3.5 mg Vitamin A 224 RE (retinol Equiv) Vitamin C 15 mg

Striving for Excellence Offer a variety of fruits & veggies daily - Fresh Fruit - Canned Fruit - Salad -Raw Veggies Limit fruit juice to 3 days per week to encourage fresh fruit and veggie consumption Garnish fruits & veggies to make them more appetizing Set a la carte guidelines No Whole Milk Fat free & 1% choices Offer Whole grains Reduced Fat items Cheese Salad Dressing Incorporated Soy Turkey products Do not fry foods in elementary and middle Portion Control

Fruit and Veggies in our schools

Why Whole Grains? Provide nutrients for good health: Fiber, Vitamin E, Protein, B Vitamins. Lower the risk of heart disease & help with weight maintenance.

Myth: School Meals make children obese “School meals are healthy and children who eat school meals consume more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy items than children who do not eat school meals”   U.S General Accounting Office Students that participate in the NSLP are more likely than non-participants to consume vegetables, milk and protein rich foods. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine

School Meals 3 meals + snack/day x 365 days = 1460 meals/year 2 school meals/day x 180 days = 360 meals/year Only 25% of student meals are consumed at school (if both breakfast & lunch are consumed everyday at school)

Elementary “snack” A la Carte Guidelines No more than 35% of total calories from fat (excluding nuts). No more than 35% added sugar by weight (not including fruits and vegetables when used as additives). Limit Sodium to 600 mg. No carbonated drinks. No caffeinated beverages

Wellness A Wellness Policy was adopted by the Leon County School District. The Wellness Policy addresses foods and beverages offered on the school campus, the physical activity of the students and nutrition education. The Wellness Policy will be update during the 2010 -2011 school year.

Questions