Looking for a little inspiration to help boost your menu? Welcome to our column featuring bites of nutrition knowledge and insight for your team’s menu creation needs | Pisanick Partners Edible Education Slicing up Inspiration for your Menu and More!
ors and sweeteners. Increase your awareness and perhaps the prod- ucts selected for your program with a new set of eyes focused on whole foods and simple swaps to meet new wellness goals this year. Ref- erence this wonderful ICN resource and share with your school friends and families. WATCH The age-old fight against sugar in processed foods discussed in the documentary Fed Up provides per- spectives and references to the links between sugar and obesity in an edgy and provocative way. The focus on UPFs has created a “new buzz” to consider when planning procure- ment options for menus and ala carte programs - check out this cur- rent media coverage on how con- sumers perceive foods in their gro- cery carts and personal diets. Watch to the end to see the highlight of how school meals help families who struggle financially to achieve their food budgets through well-balanced summer meals.
This month’s edition focuses on the evolving “fight” as wellness warriors in our roles serving school meals. As the pun of many skits and jokes about “mystery food” and “pink slime” or “ sloppy service ” - our in- dustry has struggled with a long his- tory of scrutiny and misperception. “Read the room” is often a sharp call to action encouraging accountabil- ity for understanding the needs of those we serve. From recent pro- tests to political priority shifts , as warriors in school nutrition, we need to arm ourselves with the knowledge and resources to fight the good fight of feeding kids! Enjoy some food for thought cu- rated and ready to serve up some quick and easy strategies for suc - cess!
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The world’s perception of wellness is evolving and talking more about Ultra-processed foods aka UPFs. The New York Times kicked off Jan - uary 2025 with a focus on this top- ic. A helpful definition of UPFs is commonly stated as products you couldn’t typically make in your own kitchen. They contain ingredients such as; high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, protein isolates, emulsifiers and artificial flavors, col -
MENU PRO TIP
Use your menu to tell your wellness story. We encourage our schools to proudly display the attribute “Clean Label” on their menus to demon- strate efforts made in the school caf - eteria that often go unnoticed and are misunderstood by our students and parents.
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