So, don’t tell picky eaters the new pizza is packed with whole grains and vegetables. And how much less threatening to fish haters is dipping fish-shaped nuggets into cheese? Even the new Super Buns and Super Donuts have a 1/2 cup of undetectable fruit mixed into the batter of whole grain.
“We actually gutted the entire menu and started from scratch,” said Chris Burkhardt, director of Child Nutrition.
With parent and student input, plenty of taste tests and a close analysis of nutritional content and cost, he said this menu was created with the customer in mind. No longer will pizza days be every Friday, since parents said that is the family pizza night. Chicken nugget Tuesdays are here to stay, but the side items offered will be vastly different from years past.
The goal, Burkhardt said, is to teach students portion control while treating them to foods they like. Extras will be included in the menu, like macaroni and cheese and fruit parfaits to give hungrier students more options than just snacks and fresh fruit will be a daily offering to substitute for any fruit or vegetable the student does not like,
The menu will be updated monthly, so if any particular item is unpopular, it can be replaced. This is unlike years past where the menu was set in stone. Also, Burkhardt said, there will be a newsletter informing parents of food options, tips, pertinent health information and areas for feedback.
The most crucial change for parent Karen Pletikapich, is that there now is nutrition and allergy information accesible on every menu item. She and parents and staff compiled the items, which will be listed on the district Web site.
“This is so convenient for parents of kids with food allergies, I can’t even explain it,” she said. “Chris Burkhardt has such a great understanding of the importance of nutrition issues and really gets things accomplished ... Having the allergy content listed gives parents the opportunity to proactively check ingredients of school food and allow their children to buy lunch. It helps them feel normal or the same as their friends. My son, Alex, who is entering the second grade, has never bought a meal at school, so I’m excited that this year will be his first time.”
New items on the menu include pancakes in a bag, cheesy potatoes, hash brown like baked potato stars, Cincinnati Chili, taco hot pockets, meatball hoagies, Cinnamon Bun Stix, funnel pastries with fruit, whole grain french toast sticks, Crunchmania snack bites, breakfast pockets, Snacken Waffles, breakfast bagel pizza, breakfast on a stick, a fruit-filled bread stick, reduced fat Cool Ranch Doritos and Baked Chitos.
“Kids need a variety of foods and even may want to try different foods if their friends are eating it,” Pletikapich said.
And while not every student’s pallet will be satisfied by the menu, the goal was to please as many of the 18,000 students as possible.
“We hope at the end of the day we put together a menu that everyone likes,” Burkhardt said.
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