Child Nutrition

Improvements Natalia Child Nutrition Department

• Whole milk has been replaced with 1% milk, including white and chocolate fat-free milk at all campuses.
• Process whole milk and whole fat cheese into 50% reduced fat shredded cheese and 50% reduced fat sliced cheese. Also, use commodity lite mozzarella cheese with only 2 grams of fat per 1 oz serving on pizzas and in lasagna.
• Change from normal ground beef 70/30 lean/fat ratio to 80/20 or 81/19 lean/fat ratio and train staff how to use perforated pans to allow the grease ample time to be drained from the meat and wipe the pan with disposable paper towels.
• Decrease the amount of fat in many recipes such as baked goods, vegetables, and bread. Recipes were created for items such as toast.
• Increase the number of fruits and vegetables served. 
• Initiated purchasing leaf and romaine lettuce as well as spinach.
• The specifications changed for many purchased items, such as hamburger meat, from 18 grams of fat to 10. Similar reductions were made with chicken nuggets, steak fingers, and other items.
• To eliminate fried foods, all fryers have been removed from each campus.
• Additional warmers and ovens were procured to heat and hold foods since fryers were not being utilized as previously.

• Removing almost all hydrogenated fat from recipes including cakes.  We are now using non-hydrogenated canola or soybean oil.

• Many items changed from a la carte to being offered as meals with fruits, vegetables, and milk.
• Changed chips offered with sandwiches to baked chips. Limited fat to no more than 7 grams of total fat in any baked chip.
• The regular ranch dressing was changed to a low-fat Ranch dressing with only 34 Kcal and 2 grams of fat per ounce.
• The Child Nutrition Department will no longer sell regular chips, candy or candy bars, snack cakes, or beverages with excessive amounts of high fructose corn syrup as the predominant calorie source.
• Replaced high-fat meat products like bologna and ham with low-fat products such as turkey ham (95% fat-free) and Turkey Breast (98% fat-free).
• Most District recipes have been modified to lower the amount of fat and saturated fat.
• Low-fat yogurt is now being offered at breakfast to all students.
• Have changed refried beans to a 98% fat-free brand or made from dry beans with essentially no fat.
  

        72% of a child's total meals are served outside of the school's control.