State Recognizes Princeton's Healthy Lunch Efforts

New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher applauded the Princeton School District’s efforts to offer students meals that are nutritious and appealing and provide New Jersey produce and teach students about agriculture during a visit to Community Park Elementary School as part of National School Lunch Week and Farm to School Month on Tuesday.

Fisher joined students in a Garden State on Your Plate tasting, in which farmers and chefs paired up to demonstrate a single ingredient.

Princeton University chefs prepared organic broccoli leaves from Chickadee Creek Farm in Hopewell. The students tasted the raw broccoli leaves, then squeezed lemon on it and tasted it again, noting how the lemon changed the taste of the broccoli. Finally, they tasted broccoli leaf slaw.

Fisher then visited the school’s cafeteria, where oven-baked ziti and chicken Caesar salad, and a side dish of cucumber with hummus or ranch dressing were served as lunch options.

Fresh vegetables such as carrot sticks, broccoli and celery with a choice of dip are offered every day in the school district, which is in its first year with Nutri-Serve Food Management. Students also receive a hot vegetable with the hot lunch.

The district also participates in the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s DoD Direct Delivery, which brings even more fresh state produce into Princeton schools.

“School districts around the state are providing the best nutrition for our students and are engaging them to provide them with food they want to eat,” Fisher said. “In addition, we congratulate the Princeton School District for its farm to school efforts, growing school gardens, serving Jersey Fresh produce and helping students understand where their food comes from.”

“Establishing healthy eating habits is important at an early age,” Community Park School Principal Dineen Gruchacz said. “Programs like Garden State on Your Plate teaches the students to make good choices.”

Fran McManus started a garden at the school through the Princeton School Garden Cooperative.

A variety of greens and herbs, such as Swiss chard, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, bok choy, parsley, basil, cilantro, kale and many other are grown and served as part of the school’s meal plans.

McManus said Garden State on Your Plate is an initiative to teach students about farming and cooking, helping them to understand how to use seasonings to personalize the flavor of produce.

“Having chefs make the food ensures that what we are serving is delicious, increasing the likelihood that the children will like the vegetable,” McManus said. “The farmers and chefs visit the children at their lunch tables throughout the tasting, which gives the children direct access to the men and women who grow and prepare their food.”

New Jersey schools have implemented the 2010 federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which required more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat milk, fat-free flavored milk, and limited saturated fat and portion size. It set requirements for school breakfast and snacks as well. Each day, an average of 657,814 students eat school lunch in New Jersey.

National School Lunch Week was created by the School Nutrition Association to encourage participation in the National School Lunch Program and recognize the school districts providing healthy meals every day. The New Jersey Department of Agriculture administers the program in the Garden State.

National Farm to School Month was created to make sure every student has equal access to locally grown and healthy food. This program gives schools the opportunity to visit farms, create school gardens and teach students how to cook with fresh fruits and vegetables. The New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Division of Food and Nutrition represents New Jersey as the state lead to the National Farm to School Network.

The attached images were provided by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture:

Photo #1: left to right: Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes, Secretary Fisher and Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli talk with Community Park Elementary School fourth and fifth grade students as they taste broccoli leaf first raw, then with lemon juice and finally in a slaw.

Photo #2: The inside of the cafeteria at Community Park Elementary School in Princeton.