Public comments sought on school meals

Students, what do you want to eat? Parents, what do you want your kids to eat? Now is your chance to be heard. Menus for the 2012-2013 school year are being planned, and public input is invited.

This year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which funds the school meals programs, has implemented new healthy meal guidelines and PSS-Food and Nutrition Services welcomes the public’s comments on how to create nutrition-balanced, culturally acceptable meals.

The Food and Nutrition Services provides meals for all Public School System schools, HeadStart, most private schools, and some daycares through contracted caterers using one nutrition- balanced menu.

This year, the USDA-funded school lunches must include a full three-fourths to one cup of vegetable at each meal to ensure it is nutrition-balanced and filling. PSS-FNS often finds that students are unfamiliar with the variety of vegetables it is serving at school. We’d like to know what vegetables are being served in healthy CNMI families to grow smart, strong children and teens at home. We especially welcome locally acceptable recipes or ideas that use

* Red or orange vegetables like local pumpkin, carrots, tomato
* Dark green vegetables-like Pechai or broccoli, and
* Legumes like mung beans, lentils or pinto beans.

These are foods high in the nutrition that help prevent diseases like cancer and diabetes. (These are also USDA mandated vegetable categories.)

Next school year, more whole grains will be on the menu also. How are whole grains like brown rice, wheat bread, oatmeal, and whole grain noodles used in your home? FNS would like to know!

The new healthier menus also have limitations. The meals must be low in fat, low in salt and meet specific calorie levels. This eliminates many high fat and high salt foods like processed meat, deep fried foods, and foods soaked in soy sauce. We’d love to know what else you use for flavor in your foods? Donne sali? Herbs and spices?

Please send your healthy meal suggestions before to Dianne.esplin@cnmipss.org or call CNMI PSS Food and Nutrition Services at 664-3901 or 3902 and leave a message for Dianne. Please get your comments in by May 4, 2012.

For more information about what is included in a nutrition-balanced meal, see ChooseMyPlate.gov. For more information about the USDA’s new healthy meals mandate, see http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Governance/Legislation/nutritionstandards.htm. (FNS)