Formulating for School Foodservice

The true heroes on the healthy-kids battlefront are the ones who balance nutritional guidelines, government requirements, kids preferences and cost restrictionsthe school foodservice directors. Their job is about to get even tougher as new nutrition regulations go into effect, and the current economic climate causes more kids to sign up for free lunch programs and school budgets to get squeezed.

Food manufacturers are faced with similarly difficult tasks. If they want to sell to this market, companies have to come up with products that also fit the guidelines, appeal to kids and are affordable. Many examples of exciting innovations not only meet, but exceed, these challenges. A little ingenuity and creativity go a long way. While difficult, it makes sense to develop new products or tweak existing products to appeal to this market.

Government nutritional guidelines

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in more than 101,000 public and nonprofit private schools and residential child-care institutions. In 2007, it provided nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to more than 30.5 million children each day. It was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946. In 1998, Congress expanded the NSLP to include reimbursement for snacks served to children in after-school educational and enrichment programs.

The original act reflected a different time. The act passed because most of the soldiers of the day were malnourished. Now we have overnutrition, but we still have undernourishment, says Erik Peterson, director of public awareness, Child Nutrition and Policy Center, School Nutrition Association, Washington, D.C.

Schools who participate get cash subsidies and donated commodities from USDA for each meal they serve and, in return, they must serve lunches that meet federal requirements. They also must offer free or reduced-price lunches to eligible children. School foodservice can also now be reimbursed for snacks for after-school programs.

A big change occurred in 1995, when the newest Dietary Guidelines for Americans were released. Those guidelines recommend that no more than 30% of an individuals calories come from fat and less than 10% from saturated fat. The guidelines also establish a standard for school lunches that calls for providing one-third of the Recommended Dietary Allowances of protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium and calories at lunch. While school lunches must meet these federal nutrition requirements, decisions about what foods to serve are up to school foodservice directors.

In 2004, as part of the Child Nutrition Act reauthorization, new recommendations came into play, including implementing local wellness policies and setting nutrition standards for foods served outside the school meal program, Peterson explains.

Revisions to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are due to come out later in 2009. Peterson says the new guidelines are likely to include recommendations for more fruits and grains, more dairy, and the phasing out of desserts for school foodservice. One of the thorny issues for school foodservice directors is trying to lower calories in the meals. Eliminating desserts does lower calories, but sometimes by too much. For some children, lunch is the main meal of the day, and focusing solely on calories can prove too restrictive.

Recent suggestions that restrict the amount of nutrients such as fat and sugar, without recognizing a foods contribution of beneficial nutrients, could result in limiting childrens access to nutritious foods they need, says Ann Marie Krautheim, M.A., R.D., L.D., senior vice president, nutrition affairs, National Dairy Council, Rosemont, IL. While concerns about childhood obesity continue to grow, it is critical that we not overlook the fact that, in general, Americas children are also undernourishedmost children and adolescents are not getting enough of the key vitamins and minerals they need for growth and good health.

According to Peterson: Nutrition and funding are driving the school meals today. There is pressure both internally and externally. School foodservice directors are constrained by having to pay for labor and overhead, as well, and they have to include expensive items like milk and protein, all for limited funds.

Full-price lunches are subsidized $0.22 by the U.S. government, which also reimburses schools $2.32 for each free lunch and $1.92 for each reduced-price lunch. In lower-income schools where up to 60% of children receive free or reduced-price lunches, schools receive an additional $0.02 per student.

To add to the issues directors have to address, school lunch periods in elementary schools have shrunk from 30 minutes to about 23.7 minutes in just two years, according to the School Nutrition Association, Alexandria, VA.

Manufacturers step into the fray

The regulations and funding restrictions that schools have to address are the same issues for food manufacturers who supply schools. Manufacturers also have the added conundrum of having to contend with regulations that vary by state and localities. These local guidelines may or may not be based on science, says Peterson. There is a company that makes veggie burgers for schools, for example. Because some of the states have different fat, calorie, etc. standards, the veggie burger maker had to come up with different formulations for the different regions, which drives up the cost.

But the food industry has responded in a big way to the challenges of coming up with products in both raw and processed form that comply with government regulations. Whether its school pizza with a whole-wheat crust, low-sodium turkey or low-fat cheese, manufacturers have responded to what schools need, Peterson adds.

New designs on dairy

One of the most-successful initiatives has been by dairy manufacturers who have created products that not only fit into the school lunch program, but are also products kids will accept and consume. The New Look of School Milk program, for example, features milk that comes in cool, plastic, resealable containers in various flavors. Another initiative offers flavored milk with reduced sugar.

While research shows that children who consume flavored milk do not have higher intakes of added sugars or total fat, or have a higher BMI than children who do not consume flavored milk, we recognize the desire to reduced the amount of sugar in childrens diets and have worked diligently with the dairy industry to develop and test flavored milk with fewer added sugars and total calories, while maintaining kid appeal, says Krautheim.

The dairy industry has also worked to reduce fat in cheese products, and has promoted cheese as a good source of protein that is considered a meat or meat alternative by the National School Lunch Program, and as a good source of calcium. Adding cheese to vegetables, sandwiches and soups helps kids to eat food from other food groups. Research by Leonard Marquart, Ph.D., R.D., associate professor, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, found that whole-grain pizza is the best food to help kids get more grains, because the cheese and sauce make the flavor more acceptable to kids.

Our whole-grain future

One recommendation that will come even more front and center is increased consumption of whole grains. Although there are barriers to bringing whole grains into schools, the Whole Grains Council, Boston, is helping manufacturers overcome them by providing handouts and educational materials, including lists of whole grain foodservice products available. Often, vendors charge more for whole grains or wont bid whole grains at all. One school district reported being quoted $0.15 for a whole-grain hamburger bun and $0.06 for a refined-flour bun. However, it might actually save money in the long run: A whole-grain pasta helps school foodservice operators fulfill another requirement and for less cost than animal protein, even though its a more expensive product.

Less cooking on site in many schools means manufacturers must develop whole-grain products that are heat-and-serve, which can be challenging. Another barrier is that free commodities include very few whole grains. And, perhaps the biggest barrier: Kids have to like the whole-grain products presented to them.

One way to overcome this obstacle is to make whole-grain products lookand tastelike what kids are used to, while still delivering peak nutrition. Pasta has a decent amount of protein naturally, says Jackie Schultz, R.D., corporate dietician, Barilla, Bannockburn, IL. The way you make pasta is to use semolina, a process of making wheat that has a lot of gluten, which has 7 grams of protein in each serving. The companys multigrain pasta is made with a grain and legume blend. It increases the protein content to 10 grams of protein and it has a higher level of fiber.

One of the stories I hear a lot is that students dont notice that its healthier, Schultz says. They have succeeded in getting the nutrients into the product. The appearance of the pasta helps. It has the look, taste and mouthfeel of regular pasta.

The pasta counts as a meat or meat alternative because of its protein content, and also as a grain or bread serving. The cost, while about $0.05 more per serving than a traditional pasta ($0.12 vs. $0.17), is less expensive than meat.

Another way to add whole grains to meals and to products is through relatively low-sodium, whole-grain, high-protein snack pellets. We take a combo of grains and make it into a dough, extrude them into a shape that looks a bit like pasta, and they can then be either deep fried, air popped or, soon, microwaved, says Terry Gieseke, director of sales and marketing, J.R. Short Milling Company, Kankakee, IL.

These products are expected to show up in schools as snacks and in vending machines. It depends what grains you choose to put in the pellets, but you could have a pellet that is a good source of fiber, high in protein and low in calories and sodium, Gieseke says. You can also add vegetable powders to these pellets, making them even more nutritious. Most important is that its food kids like. The company is also working on a 6-in. edible plate that can hold any variety of food and then be consumed afterward. You can eat five of these and not get 100 calories, Gieseke says. And its very affordable. Its the rice cake of the future. Another product is what the company calls a shortcut tube, like the size of a jumbo puff marshmallow. It can be flavored with anything and has good nutritional value. The company is working on creating this product so that it can be microwaved by the serving or air-popped, and is marketing it as a poppable breakfast alternative.

How low can you go?

Lowering fat is another prominent concern. Serving lower-fat 1% and 2% milk is one way to comply with this recommendation. In another favorite lunch staple, potato manufacturers are finding ways to lower the fat in fries. ConAgra Foods, Omaha, NE, uses a new process designed to deliver good taste and texture while keeping up to 25% of the fat and oil out during frying. Even lower fat content can be attained if baked. The company also has a group of products that can be prepared more quickly than traditional fries and can be cooked in the fryer or oven.

The next big push will be to lower sodium. Districts have to see if they can meet the sodium standard. They are all looking for ways to cut down on sodium in steps, says Helene Clark, director of marketing for health and wellness platform, ConAgra. French fries, for example, dont have a lot of salt in and of themselves. The salt is added by the end user.

Many soup companies have made lowering sodium a priority. Campbell Soup Company, Camden, NJ, announced in October 2008 that it had reformulated and expanded its line of soups served in schools. The line now includes lower sodium formulations of soup flavors that are especially appealing to kids.

Eat your vegetables

Of course, getting kids to eat their vegetables may be one of the biggest obstacles school foodservice directors face. One vegetable that kids have developed a fondness for is sweet potatoes. High in vitamins C and A, they are also a good source of fiber and are fat-free. Often, schools introduce vegetables in familiar foods or mixed with popular foods. Mixing half sweet potatoes with half regular baked fries, for example, introduces kids to a new food in a familiar form.

Similarly, adding vegetables to pasta dishes or on pizza is a great way to get kids to accept vegetables. Controlled-moisture, fire-roasted and grilled vegetables reduce labor in a school kitchen. What is especially attractive about these products is that they are ready to eat and dont require a lot of prep, says Clark.

Manufacturers can help schools by continuing to be a helpful player. They need to be willing to have flexibility, do their research and development and continue to tackle the new challenges, like sodium restrictionswhich will be hard to do because of palatability issues, says Peterson. Taste testing is important and has to go hand-in-hand with nutrition education. Kids have to like how the food tastes.

That said, Peterson has seen that exposing kids to new things can create trends in what kids like. One company mixed cream cheese with yogurt that had live cultures and tested it on kids to see if they liked it. Kiwifruit was introduced to another group of kids who ended up loving the color, the flavor and the fact that they could scoop it out with a cool plastic spoon. And hummus has become a favorite food for a lot of kids, served with carrot sticks or pita chips.

There are still a lot of chicken nuggets, pizza and french fries on school menus, but new formulations have made them more nutritious, even if they look the same.

Nancy Backas is a Chicago-based freelance writer and chef. She has been writing about food and the foodservice industry for more than 20 years and can be reached at [email protected].