Baking & Snack - February 2008 - 67

SCHOOL NUTRITION

Making the
Schools create an opportunity for
baking manufacturers to nourish
and influence the newest generation.

Grade

BY JENNIFER BARNETT FOX
awmakers, concerned parents and various health
advocates actively promote healthier school food
programs. In response to calls for improved
school nutritional values, manufacturers are
educating parents and school food service providers on
nutrition and offering schools products rich in whole
grains and low in saturated fat, sugar and calories. Although the desire for change among the groups is strong,
a lack of consensus has created a grab bag of guidelines,
leaving food processors, parents and school nutrition
providers searching for common ground.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKING. The desire to overhaul
school nutritional standards has created a wide-open
opportunity for manufacturers to make products for
schools in line with the varying nutritional guidelines
along with a possibility to resuscitate familiar products
with updated, healthier formulations.
Manufacturers producing a variety of bread products,
desserts and savory snack foods are making a mark on
schools throughout the US. Blue Bird Bakeries, a division of Flowers Foods, Thomasville, GA, created 100-Cal
portable snack options for before and after school eating
occasions, vending machines and school lunch offerings.
Its newest treats are available in a single-serve format to
meet the requirements of school districts.
George Weston Bakeries, Horsham, PA, has experienced an increase in the number of bids for whole-wheat
products beginning with breads followed by hamburger,
hot dog and dinner rolls, according to Richard Adams,
director of Weston's corporate food service sales. Savory
snacks are also wearing a healthier label. Kettle Foods,
Salem, OR, is currently in talks with several schools to
provide its 100-Cal Bakes to school programs. The baked
chips, made with real potato slices and no artificial ingredients, cholesterol, MSG or trans fats, contain 65% less

ᮡ High-fiber and omega-3-rich crackers and flatbread contain flax, sunflower,
sesame and pumpkin seeds.
DR. KRACKER

fat than regular potato chips.
Because school nutritional guidelines differ state to
state, county to county and district to district, many companies producing products for schools follow the guidelines endorsed by larger manufacturers and/or school
districts central to their distribution areas. In absence of
any official policy, many school food service providers
default to guidelines established by the US Department
of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service. The voluntary program recognizes schools that improve overall
nutrition. In terms of whole grain, for which there is also
no standard, foods qualifying as whole grain must be
formulated with at least 51% of its grain as whole grain.
Outside the federal arena, nonprofit organizations such as the Alliance for a Healthier Generation provide guidance for schools and manufacturers.
NOT A TYPICAL BUSINESS. Schools were previously
believed to not be worth the trouble, but more manufac-

February 2008 / BAKING & SNACK

Baking & Snack - February 2008

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