At each school we offer a self serve fruit and vegetable bar. By providing four vegetables, a fresh fruit and a canned fruit, the students can pick their favorite items, instead of passing up one choice offered on a menu because they don’t care for it. We will introduce the students to a greater variety of fresh fruit including Persimmon, Apricot, and Carombola, just to name a few. We use whole grain white bread and whole wheat rolls, and will offer whole wheat pizza crusts to insure students get the grains they need.

French Fries (which are considered a vegetable) are baked rather than deep fried in all schools.  Fries are only offered on the menu a few times per month.

Desserts are considered a treat with lunch, and have been limited to once per week on the menu.

We have included a Nutritional Analysis of your favorite menu items.  Students and parents can use this data to help make the best choices for a well balanced diet.

Harvest of the Month

Our “Harvest of the Month” program promotes different fruits, vegetables, herbs and legumes  throughout the school year.  We provide fun facts and nutrition information and will serve it at least one day during that month.

Click on a food to learn more about it!

Month	Fruit	Vegetable	Grain/Legume
September	Melons	Summer Squash	Corn
October	Persimmon	Eggplant	Edamame
November	Cranberries	Sweet Potatoes	Barley
December	Pears	Parsnip	Peas
January	Clementine	Acorn Squash	Brown Rice
February	Mango	Bok Choy	Lima Beans
March	Kiwi	Jicama	Quinoa
April	Rhubarb	Cauliflower	Garbanzo
May	Apricot	Asparagus	Wheatberry
June	Blackberries	Peas	Cannellini
July	Carombola	Fennel	Oats
August	Peach	Radish	Mung Bean

Commodities

Part of the funding of the National School Lunch Program comes to the district in the form of USDA donated commodities. As students tastes have changed, the types of foods offered as commodities have changed with them. Rather than receive whole Turkeys as in the past, we now receive processed items such as Turkey Mini Corn Dogs, Chicken Nuggets, Fully Cooked Hamburger Patties, Pizza Dippers and Taco Meat. These items are prepared using ingredients that help lower the fat and salt they contain. For example, cheese products are made with part skim milk, and beef products have added soy or turkey. We also receive much of our canned fruit and frozen vegetables as commodities.

Cooking

In order to meet the nutritional requirements of our meals, we take specific steps when preparing food items. Ground Beef is rinsed after cooking to skim off fat, and ground turkey is added when possible. All products that are typically deep fried, (chicken nuggets, chicken patties, popcorn chicken) are baked in ovens with no oil added. We do not add butter or margarine when cooking vegetables and they are steamed when possible. Salt is no longer added as a seasoning, and we use pepper or other herbs as flavor enhancements.

As of 2008, we have eliminated trans fats from foods we purchase.

A la Carte

A la Carte items are snacks that students may purchase that are not part of a meal. They are offered to Middle and High School students only, and are intended to compliment a meal rather than replace it. For that reason, we follow the USDA price guidelines so that a meal is always a better value than purchasing items separately.  All A la Carte items we sell are approved by USDA guidelines, although we have limited high fat A la Carte items, and introduced more baked and lo-fat snack items in their place. We use the guidelines from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation when selecting snacks and beverages. We will also work closely with the school district's Wellness Committee.

We recognize that good nutrition and physical activity are essential for the long-term health of children.  Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions; Type 2 diabetes and other childhood-onset of adult diseases also have reached alarming proportions.

Our commitment to be part of a solution led us to our Food 4 Life initiative, which has been our guiding principle at Taher Inc. since 2006 and includes:

• introducing children to new and different foods

• focusing on more scratch cooking, using less processed foods

• increasing the offerings of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes

• utilizing more locally grown products when available

• providing additional opportunities for development of our cooks by working with our regional and corporate chefs, and through chef training seminars

We have eliminated all trans fats in products we purchase, and use low sodium bases in our recipes.  We have specified milk without Bovine Growth Hormone, BGH.

Our menu standards follow the White House Initiative, and the HealthierUS School Challenge.

This year we have expanded our Farm to School Program to 17 different fruits and vegetables grown locally when in season.  Students will be able to see the name of the Wisconsin farm and location when these wonderful farm fresh items are served.  We welcome local farmers to join us in partnering to bring fresher products to the schools.

We understand the changing environment and the concern of rising childhood obesity. We will continue to evaluate the lunch program as new information is received, and make changes as necessary to comply with USDA guidelines and any local policies.

I would also be glad to speak to anyone who needs more information or has concerns about Nutrition and our school lunch program.

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Wellness Policy
In the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, the U.S. Congress established a new requirement for all local agencies with a federally funded National School Lunch Program.  All local school districts were required to develop and implement wellness policies by the start of the 2006-07 school year.  In response to this requirement, our school districts formed committees made up of parents, administration, faculty, and students to develop their wellness policies.

Click here to view and print our school district's Wellness Policy.