A Refreshing Step Forward...

Just got this email from the school...and I'm happy that they're starting to change things. This is good news!!!

Healthy Food Options for Students

At YOUR SCHOOL, learning doesn’t stop when students enter the lunch line. The food services program is helping students make healthy choices that are good for kids and the environment.

With childhood obesity rates soaring, choosing healthy meal options is becoming more important than ever before. That is just one reason YS is launching a new initiative to offer healthier foods that are lower in fat, salt and sugar while serving meals kids love to eat.

The following are some ways YS is beginning to change the way they offer school lunch to students:

• In all six of the district’s elementary schools, the a la carte options including fruit roll-ups, baked chips, flavored water and more are no longer being offered.
• Schools, K-12, are no longer offering 2% milk. The three choices available are skim white milk, 1% white milk, and skim chocolate milk.
• All schools are embracing the Farm to Table philosophy of supporting locally based agriculture through purchasing apples from AppleWood Orchard in Lakeville, watermelon from Prior Lake and rice blends from Indian Harvest in Bemidji.
• A COUPLE OF YOUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS have implemented a Birthday Book Club to replace student birthday treats. Instead of students bringing treats to school, they now have the option of purchasing a “birthday book” for the media center with the child’s name featured in the front of the book.
• THE HIGH SCHOOLS AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS are reducing the portion size of cookies in their a la carte selections.

WE'RE is also working to reduce its impact on the environment.

• All schools have switched from using Styrofoam trays when dish machines are down to a totally compostable tray.
• YOUR HS is also using eco-friendly cleaning agents in its kitchens from Minnesota-based company, Sunburst Chemicals.
• Elementary and middle schools have contracted with a local pig farmer who picks up the food waste after lunch. Students have learned how to separate all of their lunch trash so that only food goes to the farmer.
• Students in every school are trying to improve their recycling efforts from last year. In the 2009/10 school year, YOUR HS recycled nearly half of its trash.