Fresh, organic fruit on the menu!
Great news on the school food front, as reported by Nestwife on sfschools:
On December 5th, 6th, and 7th, students in approximately 115 of San Francisco's public schools can enjoy fresh, seasonal fruit from local family farms thanks to a partnership between San Francisco Unified School District's Student Nutrition Services, San Francisco Food Systems, and South San Francisco-based The Fruit Guys. Support for this project has been provided by Columbia Foundation and the San Francisco Foundation.
Tuesday's lunch featured an uncommon apple variety called the Arkansas Black - a derivative of the Winesap which has a dark red skin and a wonderful cherry flavor. Approximately 13,000 apples are coming from Bierwagen's farm outside of Grass Valley (about 150 miles northeast of San Francisco) to grace students' lunch trays. Wednesday, students will be able to try juicy and delicious Satsuma Mandarins from Abe-El Farm in Orosi, reflecting just one of the many unique citrus varieties available this time of year. Finally, on Thursday The Fruit Guys will bring in organic Pink Lady apples from Smit Apple Ranch in Linden (about 95 miles from San Francisco).
"We're excited to see a greater variety of fruit from California farms," said Paula Jones, Director of San Francisco Food Systems. These new additions connect students with fruit from local family farms and provide greater exposure to increasing varieties of produce through their school meal program. This partnership also helps the school district's menu better reflect the changing seasonality of California-grown produce, rather than relying on the typical Red Delicious Apple, Navel Orange, and Banana orders that are standard in most institutional food service operations.
In addition to these lunch offerings, throughout the week of December 11-15, local and seasonal fruit will be added to the School Breakfast Program in fourteen schools operating a special pilot program. Normally, a 4-oz. juice is served every day to fulfill the fruit/vegetable meal component in the School Breakfast Program. For the first time, a fresh fruit option will be added for breakfast in these schools.
Changes in the school fruit offerings are one of many innovations that the San Francisco Unified School District has taken on to improve its overall school food environment since 2003. That year, the Board of Education passed a resolution creating a Student Nutrition and Physical Activity Committee, charged with developing a detailed plan to improve school food. San Francisco's ensuing School Wellness Policy, possibly one of the strongest in the nation, includes goals around increasing the amount of fresh foods (fruits and vegetables) via the school meal programs and giving preference to products which are certified organic and which are grown, processed, and/or packaged in California.
The San Francisco Unified School District purchases about 110 cases of fresh fruit per school day - almost 700,000 pounds per year. This represents a substantial market for local farmers and a great opportunity for using the school meal program as a tool for nutrition education. Connections like this one - between the school district, San Francisco Food Systems, and The Fruit Guys - will inform current and future efforts to connect public institutions with higher quality, local and sustainable food.
Tuesday's lunch featured an uncommon apple variety called the Arkansas Black - a derivative of the Winesap which has a dark red skin and a wonderful cherry flavor. Approximately 13,000 apples are coming from Bierwagen's farm outside of Grass Valley (about 150 miles northeast of San Francisco) to grace students' lunch trays. Wednesday, students will be able to try juicy and delicious Satsuma Mandarins from Abe-El Farm in Orosi, reflecting just one of the many unique citrus varieties available this time of year. Finally, on Thursday The Fruit Guys will bring in organic Pink Lady apples from Smit Apple Ranch in Linden (about 95 miles from San Francisco).
"We're excited to see a greater variety of fruit from California farms," said Paula Jones, Director of San Francisco Food Systems. These new additions connect students with fruit from local family farms and provide greater exposure to increasing varieties of produce through their school meal program. This partnership also helps the school district's menu better reflect the changing seasonality of California-grown produce, rather than relying on the typical Red Delicious Apple, Navel Orange, and Banana orders that are standard in most institutional food service operations.
In addition to these lunch offerings, throughout the week of December 11-15, local and seasonal fruit will be added to the School Breakfast Program in fourteen schools operating a special pilot program. Normally, a 4-oz. juice is served every day to fulfill the fruit/vegetable meal component in the School Breakfast Program. For the first time, a fresh fruit option will be added for breakfast in these schools.
Changes in the school fruit offerings are one of many innovations that the San Francisco Unified School District has taken on to improve its overall school food environment since 2003. That year, the Board of Education passed a resolution creating a Student Nutrition and Physical Activity Committee, charged with developing a detailed plan to improve school food. San Francisco's ensuing School Wellness Policy, possibly one of the strongest in the nation, includes goals around increasing the amount of fresh foods (fruits and vegetables) via the school meal programs and giving preference to products which are certified organic and which are grown, processed, and/or packaged in California.
The San Francisco Unified School District purchases about 110 cases of fresh fruit per school day - almost 700,000 pounds per year. This represents a substantial market for local farmers and a great opportunity for using the school meal program as a tool for nutrition education. Connections like this one - between the school district, San Francisco Food Systems, and The Fruit Guys - will inform current and future efforts to connect public institutions with higher quality, local and sustainable food.
Labels: Nutrition
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