Kids’ Clarion examines the ‘anatomy’ of school lunch

By Beth Donze, Clarion Herald

Far from simply throwing together menus at random, months of planning and nutritional precision go into every single breakfast and lunch served by School Food and Nutrition Services of New Orleans, Inc., the archdiocesan agency that oversees the cafeteria service at 67 Catholic elementary and high schools.

Meeting nutritional requirements set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), while making meals as attractive as possible to young diners, is a balancing act the agency’s staff of 400 performs every school day, said Jenny DeRoche, School Food and Nutrition Services’ registered dietician.

“It’s very humbling to get the children’s feedback,” said DeRoche, explaining that any new menu offerings in a given school year are now taste-tested by students in the previous year to determine if it will be included in future menus.

“Last year we tested a chicken fajita pasta that did really well with the kids,” DeRoche said. “A new finger food that they liked were the mini turkey corn dogs,” she added. “We also revamped our plain grilled chicken as ‘Sweet-Heat Grilled Chicken’ – it’s grilled with General Tso sauce and BBQ sauce. It improved the flavor. We use all fresh, white-meat chicken breast fillets.”

Keeping watch on nutrition

Weekly breakfast and lunch menus are carefully designed not only for taste, but to meet minimum daily requirements set by the USDA in each food category for the varying nutritional needs of three separate grade divisions: K-5; 6-8 and 9-12.

For example, diners of all ages must be offered an 8-ounce serving of skim or 1%-fat milk (usually a choice of white, chocolate or strawberry) in their daily lunch to make the meal “complete” in the eyes of the USDA.

The required daily amount of fruit offered to young people, on the other hand, varies by age group. Students in grades K-8 must be offered a minimum of a half cup of fruit and a three-quarter cup of vegetables at every lunch, while those in grades 9-12 must be offered more: at least one full cup each of fruits and vegetables at lunchtime.

Vegetables served in the school lunch are broken down even more by the USDA to ensure that children and teens have access to what is known as “the food rainbow” – regular servings of dark green, red and orange vegetables, in addition to high-fiber veggies such as beans, corn and potatoes.

“If we think we can improve on a vegetable, we will do it,” said DeRoche, noting that when local cafeteria managers noticed that the “California mixed vegetables” supplied by system vendors were lacking in quality and taste, they created a recipe for their own carrot, broccoli and cauliflower medley. DeRoche said food-testing at the cafeterias also revealed that children generally preferred green beans and broccoli over peas.

“We’ll go taste things at schools to make sure there’s a consistent quality,” she said.

Other requirements of the school lunch relate to daily servings of grains (bread, rice, pasta). At least half of the grains offered each week must be whole grain, and the remaining grain products must be labeled as “enriched.”

The “Meats/Meat Alternates” category of the school lunch is satisfied by lean beef, chicken, turkey, fish, cheese and shrimp, the latter primarily served on Lenten Fridays. New this year will be the option of turkey bacon on School Food and Nutrition Services’ well-liked cheeseburger, DeRoche said.

The wildly popular “Taco Tuesdays” will continue their reign at school cafeterias this year, the dietician added. Diners are offered a taco filling of beef or chicken (depending on the cafeteria) and the option of a hard, corn shell or soft, whole-grain tortilla.

One new entrée DeRoche and her colleagues assumed would be a hit with their young audience received a surprising thumbs-down after being offered to students last year.

“The kids didn’t want sushi!” DeRoche said.

Making every calorie count

School Food and Nutrition Services staff also must work their menus to ensure that the total number of calories in the daily lunch stays within the range set for each age group: Lunch for grades K-5 must range between 550-650 total calories; lunch for grades 6-8 must total 600-700 calories; and lunch for grades 9-12 must amount to 750-850 calories. These incremental calorie increases support the rising activity levels of children as they grow older, DeRoche said.

“We don’t want to restrict calories,” DeRoche said. “You want a child to get at least one third of their daily calories from lunch.”

To make sure those calories are “well spent,” the USDA requires that school lunches served to all ages must not derive more than 10% of their calories from saturated fat, and must contain zero grams of trans fat. The maximum sodium content of school meals is also set by the USDA.

In another effort to make every calorie count, gone are the days in which every lunch included a sugar-laden dessert. In cafeterias operated by School Food and Nutrition Services, dessert generally is reserved as a Friday-only offering, DeRoche said. Items such as rice crispy treats, cakes, cookies and brownies are all made from scratch to ensure the school lunch stays within USDA guidelines for calories, fat and nutrition.

School Food and Nutrition Services of New Orleans also prepares the daily school breakfast in accordance with USDA guidelines. For more information, visit the office’s new Facebook page featuring upcoming menus, photos of students enjoying school breakfast and lunch, and behind-the-scenes looks at how cafeteria staff are preparing their usual delicious and nutritious meals while maintaining a safe environment for all. The agency’s website is www.schoolcafe.org.

Related story: Nutrition Days expose diners to fruits & veggies rarely served in school cafeteria

By Beth Donze, Clarion Herald

School Food and Nutrition Services of New Orleans, Inc., recently celebrated the vitamin-packed goodness of the mango during its inaugural “Nutrition Day” of the 2020-21 school year. On these monthly days, cafeteria staff prepare a healthy fruit or vegetable for students to sample in school cafeterias throughout the archdiocese.

Those who sampled mango received a nutritional profile of the fruit, a list of its health benefits, coloring sheets and a take-home recipe for “Frozen Dipped Mango Pops.”

Next up: On Oct. 14, school cafeterias will spotlight asparagus using a recipe that roasts the vegetable in olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper, and mozzarella cheese.

Remaining Nutrition Days planned for the 2020-21 school year are: 

Nov. 18: Purple Cabbage

Jan. 13: Lime

Feb. 10: Eggplant

March 17: Grapefruit

April 14: Blackberries

bdonze@clarionherald.org