From Sandra's Desk
Don't be afraid if things seem difficult in the
beginning. That's only the initial impression. The important thing is not to
retreat; you have to master yourself.
--Olga Korbut
The Olympics have just recently captured our attention
and our imagination along with the thrill of victory/the agony of defeat. The
strength, endurance, and determination of our nation’s best young athletes
amazed us as they “went for the gold”. Remember Olga Korbut who would curl
herself around in a position that would do major bodily damage to most of us
and then she would smile? As we start out a new program year, we need to
remember to smile as she did even if it feels like we’re being pulled in many
unnatural directions. Our customers remain our top priority and our reason
for our position. We will overcome things that are difficult through
planning, sharing our goals and our vision, thinking through the
possibilities, and hard work.
Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition and WIC Programs
passed this last spring. It passed both houses of Congress unanimously and
was signed into law by President Bush. There are a number of changes. We
will be working through those as we receive additional regulations and
policies from USDA. We will send memos and policies to agencies to guide the
implementation of the changes. Various pieces will be briefly featured in the
Bulletin throughout the coming year, also.
Recently seen on a t-shirt: “Smile at people. It
confuses them.”
Also seen: “Smile. It makes people wonder what you’ve
been up to!”
Keep smiling and have a good day!
Reauthorization
Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition and WIC Programs
was signed into law and implemented a number of changes. Some are effective
immediately. Most of the changes affected the school nutrition programs
rather than the Child & Adult Care Food Program or Summer Food Service
Program. Changes outlined in this first note are effective now.
1 - Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program – While the law
establishes fresh fruit and vegetable as a program rather than a pilot
project, the number of states and schools funded remains somewhat limited. We
were delighted to learn that schools in the area governed by Oglala Sioux
Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation were included in the bill.
2 – School Breakfast Program - Severe Need - paperwork
reduction. Schools that served 40% free and reduced price lunches in the
second prior year can now claim the higher rate of reimbursement (severe need)
without having to complete the cost justification. Agencies with eligible
sites will be contacted to advise them of the higher rate.
3 – Duration of Eligibility of Free/Reduced Price Meals –
Approved applications for free and reduced price meals are good for the whole
school year for school lunch, school breakfast, and special milk program.
Formerly, families who had been approved were to report if their income
changed by $50/month.
4 – Categorical Eligibility of migrant, runaway, and
homeless youth – this is an additional categorical eligibility for free meals
for all programs for children who are known to fit in one of these
categories.
5 – Permanent Exclusion of Privatized Military Housing
Allowances – Makes permanent an exclusion which had been previously
implemented through policy.
6 – Seamless Summer – Makes permanent and renames what
was formerly called “summer waiver” or Alisal waiver. This allows schools
that would be eligible for the Summer Food Service Program to continue on the
school nutrition programs throughout the summer.
7 – Proprietary Centers in CACFP – Makes permanent an
allowance which had been previously implemented through policy. Allows
proprietary centers to participate in CACFP if they meet certain criteria of
income levels.
8 – Emergency Shelters – Raises the age limit from 12 to
18 for children whose meals can be claimed for reimbursement in emergency
shelters.
9 – Special Provision 2 and 3 – In NSLP and SBP, schools
that participate in the NSLP/SBP can use district-wide percentages to
calculate the claim for reimbursement.
10 – Pilot States to End Reduce Price Meal Category –
Last but by no means least in this first assessment of Reauthorization is that
5 states will be authorized to eliminate the reduced price category. The
states have not been named. This goes to show that all the work that schools
and their partners did last year to bring this to attention of Congress was
worthwhile. It definitely received their attention.
National School Lunch Week
The
excitement of another school year has begun, and along with that excitement
comes the anticipation of how to celebrate national school lunch week (NSLW).
Schools that promote the special week always report their participation also
significantly increases. October 11-15, 2004, is the designated week to
celebrate National School Lunch Week. The national theme this year is “Reach
Your Peak with School Lunch”. (NSLW) is the perfect time to draw positive
attention to school meals and to work creatively with teachers and others in
the community. This year’s outdoor activity theme is sure to make your school
district’s observation of NSLW success!
A promotional planning guide booklet has been prepared by
CANS to help get the creative talents jump started. The booklet was
distributed at the Aberdeen August conference to attendees and was mailed out
to SFA’s which were not at the conference. National School Lunch Week is an
excellent time to market your school meals programs at all of your feeding
sites to promote the importance of balanced daily nutrition to students,
faculty, parents and community. The State Office of Child and Adult Nutrition
Services (CANS) is encouraging you to work with your food service staff and
teachers to plan activities that will put the importance of good nutrition in
the spotlight at your school or center. CANS also prepared a powerpoint
presentation to promote the outdoor theme. Upon request, CANS will send the
powerpoint presentation via e-mail as an attachment to any SFA that would like
to have a copy.
The April 2004 issue of the School Foodservice and
Nutrition magazine features selected menus and recipes to use during
National School Lunch Week. If the foodservice staff do not receive this
publication, visit the American School Food Service Association on the web at
www.asfsa.org Promotional materials are available through the Emporium.
To request an Emporium catalog contact the ASFSA Service Center through email
at
www.servicecenter@asfsa.org or phone at (703)739-3900.
CANS would like to hear how your SFA celebrates National
School Lunch Week. Take pictures, have fun, and send in any stories or photos
which could be shared in the monthly newsletter.
Offer Versus Serve
In the mid 1970’s Congressman Bill Goodling from
Pennsylvania and other congressional leaders believed that students were
throwing away far too much food, so they declared “war on waste”. They wanted
to reduce the waste of food and the waste of government money used to purchase
and prepare this food. A part of this “war on waste” was the Offer Versus
Serve (OVS) option. It was a way to avoid forcing students to take food they
did not intend to eat.
The goals of OVS are: 1) Minimize plate waste and 2)
Encourage more food choices.
Schools that implement OVS must offer all the planned
menu items to all students. Students may refuse a specified number of menu
items. Schools that do not choose to do the OVS option must serve all food
menu items to all students.
Senior high schools, usually considered grades 9-12,
participating in the National School Lunch Program are required to implement
OVS. In elementary and junior high/middle schools, OVS is a local option
whereby students may decline one or two menu components. School food
authorities may implement OVS in their School Breakfast Programs as well.
Full portions of a minimum required number of items must be taken for a meal
to be claimed for reimbursement.
Substantial cost savings may occur with OVS. The manager
determines the quantity to prepare based on previous production records and
menu pattern required serving amounts. The cashier and kitchen manager must
work closely together in defining the reimbursable meals for the day.
Meals must be priced as a unit. This means paying
students will pay the full meal price and students eligible for reduced price
will pay the current reduced price charge whether they take the minimum number
of menu items or the complete meal. The cashier needs to determine the menu
items and serving amounts before the meal service begins. A reimbursable meal
must be defined for claiming purposes.
At schools implementing either the Traditional or
Enhanced Menu Pattern meals, when students go through the line, they must be
offered five food items. Under OVS, a student may decline up to two of the
five required food items and still have a reimbursable lunch. In other words,
a student must take full portions of at least three of the five food items
offered to have a reimbursable lunch. Students are not required to take
specific food items as long as they choose at least a full serving of three of
the five items offered. Students do not have to take a milk or entrée
to have a reimbursable lunch. Any three components from a Traditional or
Enhanced menu pattern menu will make a reimbursable meal.
The five components of a Traditional and Enhanced menu
pattern include: one serving of Meat/Meat Alternate, two servings of
Vegetables and/or fruits, one serving of grains/breads, and one serving of
milk.
If the meat/meat alternate is split into two menu items,
i.e., the main dish and one other menu item, the student would have to take
both items for the meat/meat alternate to count as one of the five food
items. For example, the menu consists of a sandwich containing 1 ½ ounce of
meat and a celery stick with ½ ounce of peanut butter. These two items
comprise the required 2 ounces of meat/meat alternate component of the meal.
If the child takes milk and the sandwich, the child has taken only two items –
the milk and grain/bread. The celery with peanut butter would be needed to
count the meat/meat alternate as a full serving.
Under OVS, students may take smaller portions of the
declined food components. The required food components selected by the
students, however, must be a full serving. The decision to decline the
allowed number of food items or to accept smaller portions of otherwise
declined food items does not affect the charge for the meal. Within the
minimum quantities specified in the regulations for the various age and grade
groups, the menu planner establishes what constitutes a “serving.” It is the
student’s choice which items to decline including the entrée or milk.
OVS reduces plate waste and improves acceptability of the
meal. Students have choices available which encourages them to choose a meal
that is more specific to their preferences. The food service staff is
committed to promoting the nutrition goals of the school nutrition program by
providing students with healthy food choices.
Commodity Delivery Schedules By Week
Following is a listing, by county, of which week you can
expect to receive your commodity delivery:
“WEEK #1”: Beadle, Brown, Campbell, Clark,
Codington, Corson, Day, Dewey, Edmunds, Faulk, Grant, Hand, Hyde, McPherson,
Marshall, Perkins, Potter, Roberts, Sully, Walworth, Ziebach
“WEEK #2”: Aurora, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brule,
Charles Mix, Clay, Davison, Deuel, Douglas, Gregory, Hanson, Hamlin,
Hutchinson, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Lake, Lincoln, McCook, Miner, Minnehaha
(Schools in Sioux Falls will work with Nordica on a “will call” basis.),
Moody, Sanborn, Tripp, Turner, Union, Yankton
“WEEK #3”: Bennett, Buffalo, Butte, Custer, Fall
River, Haakon, Harding, Hughes, Jackson, Jones, Lawrence, Lyman, Meade,
Mellette, Pennington, Shannon, Stanley, Todd
Following are the starting dates for monthly commodity
deliveries for the remainder of 2004:
|
Month |
Start |
|
September |
September 7 |
|
October |
October 5 |
|
November |
November 1 |
|
December |
November 29 |
|
January |
January
5 |
|
February |
February 2 |
|
March |
March 1 |
|
April |
March 29 |
|
May/June |
April 26 |
The new delivery charge for non-public schools is $5.58
per hundred weight. There is a $40 minimum delivery charge.
The ABC's of Your Order Blank
What do all those letters mean at the bottom of the order
blank such as "Original A Entitlement", etc? They indicate the group type of
commodity. It shows your level of entitlement for the year and also how much
has been spent year to date in each category.
Group A products are items such as canned fruits,
vegetables, and meat products.
Group B are grain, dairy, oils, shortening, and
peanut items.
Group C are bonus commodities. USDA purchases
these products as part of price support and surplus removal activities. Bonus
products are available in addition to your regular commodity entitlement.
Finally, there is Group D. This is the fresh
produce ordered through the Department of Defense Produce Buying Office (PBO)
in Denver.
On the order blank there is a column heading of “USDA
CODE”. The last alpha character indicates whether a product is a Group A, B or
C item. For example, Peaches, Canned has a USDA code of A408C. The commodity
code ends in a C, therefore it is a bonus product. Since fresh produce is
ordered through Denver PBO, no D products appear on the order blank.
Groups A, B and D represent your commodity entitlement
level for the year. Switching between A and B is allowable. You may also apply
any portion of your Group D money to Groups A and B. You can not transfer
additional dollars to the Group D (fresh produce) without receiving authority
from CANS.
In reviewing your year to date amount spent, remember not
to exceed the total of your Groups A, B and D.
The Group C entitlement level is an estimate of the
amount of bonus products that may (or may not) be available during the school
year. This group is over and above your regular entitlement level. For the
most part, these products can be ordered on an "As Needed Basis". You can
exceed (within reason) your dollar amount allocated for Group C. However, we
reserve the right to adjust quantities ordered for bonus items.
Commodity Receipt/Manifest
Processed
Commodity Prices
As a reminder, your cost for processed commodity items is
the price indicated on the invoice you receive. It is not the USDA
value per case price listed on the commodity order blank or manifest/receipt
from CANS. The price on those forms is the USDA value of the commodity product
contained in each case of the processed product.
For example, the USDA value of a case of the Apricot
Applesauce Cups (P701C) is $5.21 case. This is the value of the commodity
apricots contained in a case of the cups. The actual cost of the product as
listed on the invoice as well as on the order blank as "Your Cost" in the rate
of issue section is $16.00 per case.
For products from Sunny Fresh, Café Favorites, etc. your
case cost is listed on the “Commodity Processing Order Blank for those
products. The USDA value of the commodity items is shown on the Commodity
Receipt Manifest you receive from CANS and on the processing order blank.
Oak Valley offers two items; a deli style breast slab -
P010A and smoked turkey picnic ham – P011A. The products are processed at the
Oak Valley Farms facility in Watertown, SD. There is no “fee for service”
charge to public schools for these products. For non-public schools the
cost per case is $31.60. These products should be available for October
delivery.
Building
for the Future with the CACFP
Upcoming Training Events
“Basic Training in the CACFP” Workshop
This
workshop is designed specifically for new employees working with the Child and
Adult Care Food Program. For more information please contact Melissa Halling
at (605) 773-3566 or by email at
melissa.halling@state.sd.us.
Kids in
the Kitchen – Wrap–Ups
From
Physical Activities and Healthy Snacks for Young Children; Team Nutrition Iowa
-
1 - 4 or
5” Tortilla
-
1 tsp -
low-fat mayonnaise
-
1 tsp -
low-fat sour cream
-
¼ cup -
chopped or grated vegetables (tomato, red pepper, cucumber, carrot, onion,
zucchini) or cooked dried beans
-
2 Tbsp -
grated cheese
-
Mix mayonnaise and sour cream.
Spread on one side of tortilla.
-
Top with ¼ cup chopped vegetables
and grated cheese.
-
Fold the tortilla in half or roll
it up for a sandwich on the go.
Avocado Option: Mix a small amount
of mashed avocado into the mayonnaise / sour cream spread.
Snack Idea (1-5 year olds):
Kids on the Move – From Physical Activities and Healthy Snacks for Young
Children; Team Nutrition Iowa
Animal walks
-
Arrange the children in a long
line facing you.
-
Ask the children “who can show me
how a/an (insert animal name) walks”? If a child volunteers allow them to
demonstrate. If what the child does is close to the description have the
other children copy. If the demonstration is not close, ask if anyone can
think of another way to show how that animal might walk. You can also
demonstrate or cue by using the descriptions below. Repeat with the animals
running, with each child selecting their favorite, adding their own animals,
and so forth.
-
Kangaroo (jumping while holding
hands near chest with fingers forward)
-
Monkey (walking with hands on
ground)
-
Bear (lumbering so that hand
and foot on the same side go forward together)
-
Pony (galloping or trotting
with all fours)
-
Giraffe (lift arms above head
pretending this is the neck and head, then slide to move across the area)
-
Squirrel (running, darting and
dodging, quick head movements during short steps)
September,
National Food Safety Education Month 2004
“Be aware when
you prepare”
Most foodservice
employees take food safety very seriously. We all know that a single outbreak
of foodborne illness can tarnish an establishment’s reputation, and in some
cases, drive an operation out of business. September marks the tenth annual
National Food Safety Education Month SM, (NFSEM)
presented by the NRAEF’s International Food Safety Council. The theme of this
year’s NFSEM is “Be aware when you prepare.” That’s why the NRAEF food safety
awareness initiative, the International Food Safety Council has prepared 5
training lessons for use in your establishment. Each lesson is designed to
give you a short training that can be used with all of your foodservice
employees to highlight food safety.
Created by the
NRAEF’s International Food Safety Council, this annual food safety campaign
strives to: build awareness of the foodservice industry’s commitment to
serving safe food, heighten awareness about the importance of food safety
education, and encourage additional food safety training for all foodservice
employees. This year’s theme, “Be aware when you prepare,” focuses on the
important procedures necessary for preparing food safely.
“Americans are
aware of food safety now more than ever before and, through National Food
Safety Education Month, we have the opportunity to highlight what we are doing
in the foodservice industry to educate our employees on proper food safety
procedures.” To obtain materials and information on how to get involved in
National Food Safety Education Month, visit the NRAEF Web Site at
www.nraef.org/nfsem. This is the foodservice industry’s opportunity to
reinforce what we do year-round to ensure safe food handling and to showcase
our efforts to our customers and patrons. With
your involvement, we know that this year’s event will be the best ever.
Professional Development
Upcoming workshops at the National Food Service Institute
October 20-21, 2004 - Nutrition Update
A two-day seminar (12-14 hours) to update
nutrition knowledge and consider its impact on children's health and Child
Nutrition Programs. Nationally recognized nutrition experts discuss recent
developments and current issues, adolescent nutrition needs, the
relationship between child nutrition and chronic disease, energy metabolism
in children, and nutrition myths and misinformation. Participants will
receive a copy of a current nutrition text, and other valuable resource
materials.
Location: National Food Service Management
Institute, University of Mississippi.
For more information, contact
Beverly Cross or call 800-321-3054.
November 9-11, 2004 -
First Choice
Procurement Seminar
C Pr
Based on First Choice: A Purchasing Systems Manual for School Food
Service, 2nd Edition, the workshop presents procurement education that
supports the delivery of nutritious and appealing meals to children. It
emphasizes the links among purchasing, nutrition integrity, food safety, and
financial success of the program. Target audience includes child nutrition
professionals, school administrators and business managers, and others
interested in learning more about the procurement process in Child Nutrition
Programs. Approved for ASFSA credit; approval from other organizations
possible.
Location: National Food Service Management Institute, University of
Mississippi
Registration fee: $50.00. Registration deadline: October 20, 2004
For more information,
contact
Beverly Cross or call 800-321-3054
Feature of the month: 10 minute Lessons for School food service (no time to
train?)
Includes a set of 12 ten minute lessons. This resource is available for
purchase from NFSMI and counts towards continuing education credits. For
more information call 1-800-321-3054.
Take 5! Fruit and Veggie Challenge
September is National 5-A-Day month!
Receive 1 CEU for participating in this challenge from SNA.
Click here for more information
Online Chats
Receive one continuing
education credit by participating in an online chat group and learn from
industry leaders as well as share your experiences and knowledge. Another
great way to learn without having to put in a lot of time. For more
information visit: http://www.asfsa.org/continuinged/.
September
is National 5-A-Day Month
There are several websites that
have great information, ideas, fun facts and recipes that would be great to
use in your cafeterias, on bulletin boards, in classrooms, etc.
The Center for Disease Control
(CDC) has a great 5-A Day website that has a calendar that shows fruits and
vegetables of the month. Below is an excerpt about cactus which is their
fruit of the month for August.
Edible Cactus
"Edible cactus is
also known as nopales (noPAH-les), nopalitos or cactus pads. This vegetable is
popular in Mexico and other Central American countries, parts of Europe, the
Middle East, India, North Africa and Australia. Its popularity is increasing
in the United States where it can be found at Mexican grocery stores,
specialty produce markets and farmer’s markets.
Edible cactus is
characterized by its fleshy oval leaves (typically called pads or
paddles) of the nopal (prickly pear) cactus.
With a soft but
crunchy texture that also becomes a bit sticky (not unlike okra) when cooked,
edible cactus tastes similar to a slightly tart green bean, asparagus or green
pepper.
Cactus pads contain
beta carotene, iron and some B vitamins and are good sources of both vitamin C
and calcium.”
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/5ADay/month/cactus.htm
Another great website is the
Produce for Better Health website. At this site you will find
tools to help your school celebrate National 5-A-Day-Month including use of
the “Lead the Way” logo.
Are you on the Team?
The first issue of SD TEAM Nutrition was mailed
last week to team members of SD TEAM Nutrition. However, we may have missed
you because we don’t have a current list of all members in the state. If you
didn’t get a copy of SD TEAM nutrition and you are on a team, please let us
know and we will add you to the mailing list. Please send an email to
amy.richards@sd.state.us with your name, mailing address, and email address.
Write that you would like to receive the newsletter in the text of the email.
If your school district isn’t on the team and would like to be, go to http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/
and you can learn how to form a team and get your district on board.
Mini-grant applications for $1000.00 grants to
work on TEAM nutrition projects in your facilities will be mailed out within
the next month. This is a great opportunity to get some cash to help pay for
a project to make a difference in the nutritional health of your students.
While it may not seem like a lot of money, there are actually a lot of things
that you could do with it that could make a world of difference in student’s
lives.
SD TEAM Nutrition is on the web! You can find us
by going to the CANS site and clicking on TEAM nutrition or by typing in the
following web address:
http://www.state.sd.us/deca/CSCF/CANS/Nutrition/index.htm. There you can
view the handouts from the TEAM nutrition summer workshop and learn more about
what is going on with SD TEAM nutrition. The website is under construction,
so watch for new additions!
Denver PBO School Fresh Fruit And Vegetable Newsflash
The Denver Produce Buying Office sends out a weekly
newsletter by e-mail. To get on the list you need to contact the following:
Linda Hawkins
E-Mail:
linda.hawkins@dla.mil
Tel: 1-800-795-5802, 303-467-6903
The newsletter contains information on availability and
unavailability of produce along with other valuable news about the produce
program.
Nutrition Tidbits
Ode to Strawberries
-
Over 53 percent of seven to
nine-year-olds picked strawberries as their favorite fruit.
- Madame Tallien, a
prominent figure at the court of the Emperor Napoleon, was famous for
bathing in the juice of fresh strawberries. She used 22 pounds per basin.
Needless to say, she did not bathe daily.
- There is a museum in
Belgium just for strawberries.
- The ancient Romans
believed that strawberries alleviated symptoms of melancholy, fainting, all
inflammations, fevers, throat infections, kidney stones, bad breath, attacks
of gout, and diseases of the blood, liver and spleen.
- Strawberries are the only
fruit with seeds on the outside.
http://www.michigan.gov/mda/0,1607,7-125--38102--,00.html
Summer Food Promotes Healthy Eating and Exercise
This summer the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA)
had partnered with the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) to help promote
healthy eating and exercise.
Over thirty members of the Rapid City Club for Boys
attended a visit by Miss Rodeo South Dakota, Jessica Melvin, and PRCA roper,
Ora Taten. The duo was on hand to let boys know how important exercise and
nutrition were to pro rodeo athletes. After a lively question and answer
session, Ora Taten showed off his ropemanship skills with his son serving as
the ropee. Jessica was more popular afterwards, giving out almost fifty
autographs. Their visit is part of the Club for Boys' emphasis on fitness and
health in its members.
The PRCA event in Sioux Falls was another success.
Approximately 70-75 children were present for the meal service. One of the
regular attendees at the summer program brought her horse for the others to
see. Jessica helped the kids rope a bale, talked to them about the importance
of eating healthy, getting plenty of physical activity and making good choices
and then autographed pictures of herself. One local television station - KDLT
- covered the event and ran a short clip in the evening news.
$5,000-10,000 Grant
Money
for Playground Equipment and Nutrition Education
From The Center for
Health and Health Care in Schools:
Nickelodeon Let's Just Play Grants Program
“The
Let's Just Play Grants Program provides support to create or expand
opportunities for physical play in K-9 schools and after-school
community-based organizations throughout the U.S. Approximately 25 to 50
grants will be awarded with awards ranging from $5,000 to $10,000.
Eligible applicants include elementary and middle schools grades K-9 and
after-school community-based organizations. Applicants must participate in
Nickelodeon's Worldwide Day of Play. Funds may be used to purchase playground
and athletic equipment, integrate playtime or recess into school/organization
curriculum, establish nutritional or health education programs, establish
athletic or intramural clubs/teams, or to host days of play for
club/school/community throughout the year.”
Application deadline: November 1, 2004
For
more information and application guidelines, please visit
http://www.nick.com/all_nick/everything_nick/public_ljpgrants2.jhtml
