Not Your Father's School Lunch

Teachers will strive to satisfy students' thirst for knowledge in school classrooms but the taste tests in the cafeteria will offer students a fun way to both explore new food selections and satisfy their hunger.

Students will have a chance to sample different foods during their lunch periods this year.  Alternate proteins such as tofu, beans, and accompanying sauces and salsa options may be some of the ways the Concord Public Schools will broaden the students lunch menu and offer healthier food choices this year.  It is "another step to where we would really like to be," says Bonnie Hardy, Food Services Director for the Concord Public Schools K-12. 

A new school chef will be joining the kitchen "to guide us along and help us learn to do it ourselves."   Working with local farms such as Lanni Orchards from Lunenburg, local produce is transported directly to the Concord Public Schools. Local farms have been accommodating and "plant what we want them to plant," states Bonnie. 

With a food bill costing up to $10,000 per month, she notes that we are "in business to make lunches."  Many Concord students are fortunate to have high quality fruits and vegetables in their own homes but it will be an added bonus to have it in their school lunches as well.

The Childhood Obesity Action Plan, promoted by Michelle Obama, is forcing food manufacturers to consider the importance of good nutrition for children.  Removing deep fryers out of schools is one part of this initiative and Bonnie notes that, "we have progressed getting fryolaters out of the schools."

In a rapid departure from the elementary school lunch favorite of chicken nuggets and fried potatoes, Bonnie aims to now offset the chicken nugget choice with healthy side dishes like wild rice and vegetables. Aiming for lower sodium products including snacks such as rice cakes, baked chips and fruits coming from the A-List Snack group developed by the John C. Stalker Institute of Food and Nutrition, Bonnie's priority is "to make sure the food the students eat is the most healthy product."

http://www.johnstalkerinstitute.org/vending%20project/healthysnacks.
With the goal of getting to the "most natural form of food", Bonnie noted that Concord Public Schools are fortunate to be "well supported by the town and administration as fresh fruits and vegetables come at a cost."

For many students, hamburgers and local Sorrento's pizza may always be their favorite lunch selections. But the taste tests in the cafeteria may yield a new food discovery. Your student may even come home talking about the great tofu burger he had for lunch!