As many readers know, I’ve been serving on a Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) to Houston ISD’s Food Services since its inception last spring. Like many large urban school districts around the country, HISD has outsourced its food services to a food service management company (FSMC) — in this case, Aramark. Because of the huge size of our district (230,000 meals served a day) and because of the participation of a for-profit FSMC, I’ve often wondered whether the PAC is little more than a PR exercise, a way to generate nice photos for the Food Services website, but not much more.
Well, to my surprise, there are some signs of actual change happening here in Houston.
Back in early June, the PAC was invited to a brainstorming session in which we were asked to list all the menu changes we’d like to see. We spent the morning papering a large wall with Post-its, some containing easily achievable suggestions like more legume-based entrees, and some with fervent wishes we knew were unlikely to gain traction, like putting a salad bar in every school, or getting rid of “a la carte” offerings (separately sold chips, desserts, etc.) entirely.
When HISD and the PAC reconvened last week, we learned that many of the PAC’s menu suggestions have already been put into place at the elementary level for the coming school year. (For interested readers, here’s a PDF of all the recent developments, but please note that this list was prepared for our meeting; it’s not an official HISD document). Here are some of the highlights:
- Fruits/Vegetables: Dark green and orange vegetables have been added to the menu, as well as grapes, broccoli florets, carrot sticks and an Italian vegetable bake. Locally grown items will be added seasonally and more fresh fruit will be added to the breakfast menu (as soon as slicing equipment is obtained).
- Better Quality Meat: Whole breast chicken meat has been added to the menu in four new entrees, including a chicken and brown rice vegetable soup, a Creole chicken and the replacement of whole chicken (vs. pulled, processed chicken) in the BBQ sandwich. Chicken nuggets will be served half as often (two times per month vs. four). Ground beef recipes will use 50% ground turkey.
- Whole Grains: In addition to the whole grains already added to hamburger and hot dog buns, whole grain pasta, brown rice and whole grain tortillas will be used. (I’m unclear on the percentages of whole grain used and will get more information.)
- Reduction in Processed Foods: The Uncrustable sandwich and animal crackers have been removed from breakfast menus (that was already in the works); salad will be offered weekly; a potato-encrusted fish fillet will be served (no scraps or fillers used); and entrees par-fried by food manufacturers will be reduced to nine out of the thirty-eight entrees served. (HISD had already eliminated on-site frying some time ago.)
- In Development: Some of the items and concepts the PAC asked for, such as sandwiches, a greater variety of ethnic food and more legume-based entrees, are being tested now. These include: rice-and-bean entrees, stir-fries, rice bowls, a curry, sandwiches and wraps, and a Greek gyro. HISD is also considering our suggestion that nutrition-boosting vegetable or fruit purees be added to various entrees.
Of course, not everything on our wish list has been granted. For example, we asked to completely eliminate high fructose corn syrup from the menu but were told that, at present, non-HFCS items are too costly, as were other items requested by some PAC members, such as hummus and edamame. Also, it sounds like many of the items in development (rice bowls, wraps, etc.) will only be offered on the a la carte line, which, as I’ve written about before, could easily result in a world of haves and have nots when it comes to access to less processed, healthier food.
And three big requests were rejected out of hand (as expected) – eliminating flavored milk, instituting salad bars and getting rid of a la carte sales. These issues are important enough that I want to address them in separate blog posts. I also want to separately discuss the whole question of our current middle and high school menu, which is sorely in need of improvement.
There’s also the critical issue of elementary student education about, and acceptance of, new items. For example, when I learned that the three new dark green and orange vegetables on the menu– bok choy, spinach and acorn squash – are being served steamed, I got a little worried. I’m a huge veggie lover, but even I’m slightly turned off by a big pile of steamed squash. Although I was told that some fat and salt will be used, I still question why HISD isn’t being more creative with these new vegetables – e.g., why not serve a baked spinach with cheese or bread crumbs, or acorn squash roasted with honey or maple syrup and cinnamon, both of which, in addition to being more appealing to kids, are likely to fare better during transport and reheating than a steamed item?
I’m also very concerned that students inured to years of pizza, nuggets and Frito Pie will either refuse to take the new entrees and vegetables from the serving line or they’ll take them and throw them out, leading HISD/Aramark to deem the experiments a costly failure that won’t be continued. For example, I personally pleaded with HISD to not serve the new entrees (like the chicken and brown rice soup) on the same day as a popular “kid food” item such as pizza; to do so would be a virtual guarantee that the new, more healthful entrées will be a big flop.
In conjunction with this concern, we discussed the fact that HISD/Aramark doesn’t have nearly enough dieticians to go into every school to educate about and talk up the new items. The PAC suggested that parent volunteers, already staffing cafeterias around the district, could be drafted as “food boosters” to explain new foods and encourage sampling, with stickers, presentations and/or just a whole lot of enthusiasm. In my opinion, food education is of the same critical importance as what’s on the menu, but it seems like it’s often viewed as an afterthought in school food reform.
I’m always a little concerned that, as a PAC member, I’m slowly being co-opted by HISD/Aramark — snowed by news of small, superficial changes when all we’re really doing, as Dr. Susan Rubin (of the Two Angry Moms) might say, is moving deck chairs on the Titanic. And for the reasons discussed above (and in my future blog posts about flavored milk, salad bars, a la carte and upper school menus), I think we do still have a long way to go.
But given that the PAC has only been around since the spring, and given that HISD has managed to make some legitimate, positive changes to the menu in just the last three months, I’m keeping an open mind. And it’s important to give credit where credit’s due. So, thank you HISD/Aramark for giving us a voice and taking many of our suggestions into account.
We’ll all be watching to see what happens next.
[Ed Update: Good news and bad news . . . HISD has since informed me that the acorn squash isn’t steamed, it’s roasted with cinnamon and brown sugar. That sounds much more appealing! The bad news is that the animal crackers are not being removed from the breakfast menu as discussed at our meeting. Apparently they will be served twice a week for the foreseeable future , although that may change in the late fall. For those of you scratching your head, the animal crackers are (rightly or wrongly) served in an effort to meet USDA calorie requirements. See my School Lunch FAQs for more on what that’s about.]
[Ed Update part 2: Actually, it’s graham crackers, not animal. For more on why any sugary crackers, and whether new school food legislation will end the need for such processed “filler” food, read here.]
Viki says
I think the point is to not rest.
Yes, at this point it looks as if they are trying to improve, but you can’t just sit back you have to keep pushing.
If if takes parent organization to introduce the kids to the new foods then start with that.
So many times when dealing with big corporations and big government, I feel as if we little people get a pat on the head and sent on our way…
I hope that they run with your suggestion to not serve new foods on popular kid food days.
Hard to be hopeful isn’t it.
Deck chairs indeed.
Courtney Tardy says
Bettina,
Thanks for keeping us posted re: HISD changes and for taking on this most important cause.
Courtney
Lisa says
Thanks, Bettina, for all your hard work, and for the dedication of the other parents on the PAC. I appreciate all you have done. I have a feeling it will be a few steps forward, a few steps back, but it looks like some progress is being made. I appreciate the update! Keep up the good work.
Sari says
Thank you Bettina for the updates. I have been so out of the loop with personal things that my committment to the PAC has been put to the wayside. I am in great appreciation that you are my go to source right now. Hopefully soon, I will be able to step up again and help with the cause. Thanks again Bettina for all your hard work. S
Mary Lawton says
Thanks for all the information and updates. At the last meeting I was glad to hear of the changes they are making but wholly discouraged by the mountains of Papa John’s (wow, whole wheat crust!) pizza that our middle and high schoolers will be faced with again in the coming year. If a child eats pizza every day for a week, or how about just three days a week for the entire school year, I wonder how many pounds that will pack on. It can’t be good. Unfortunately it’s a no-brainer money maker for food service and too good to let go of. We have to keep the pressure on this year, and I plan to be right out in front with my comments.
Kay Ellis-O'Dea says
Aramark does not make food that tastes like food – ever. Aramark has contracts with hospitals, Reliant, Minute Maid, U of H. And it is the same –awful tasting food. Have you ever been in the hospital for a few days before? Then, you know the food they serve makes you want to never eat again. They must be making gobs of money for their shareholders off of the money the government gives to feed children. Have you seen the breakfast this school year?
jenna Food w/ Kid Appeal says
just stumbled on your blog when preparing for a meeting with Child Nutritional Services in SBISD. Nice to know there is another houston school food reform blogger out there! It’s been a few months, how are the new entrees doing? Do you have participation data for the new entrees vs other main line options? In SBISD we started offering a hot sandwich for lunch daily this year. This was a bad move in my opinion, since the kids can now choose chicken or patty on a bun when they don’t like the main course item. They have bun breakfast every day, so it’s breakfast and lunch on a bun every day for many kids. Re: participation of new items: Take a peek at what Sherwood Elementary is doing to help increase participation of fruits and veggies. Morning announcements showcase one produce item each week, flyers go home with parents monthly. http://foodwithkidappeal.blogspot.com/2010/09/eat-to-learn-spinach-why-your-kids.html