USDA Foods Hatches New Chicken Product for Schools

From USDA:

Posted by Lindsay Walle, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Food Distribution Division, on January 21, 2015 at 10:00 AM

USDA’s new unseasoned chicken strip provides school chefs with versatile and healthy options.

School lunches have evolved since many of our childhood days to keep pace with new dietary guidelines and school meal patterns, but one food has been an enduring component: chicken.  The popular protein graces the center of the plate in a variety of forms and flavors, and the new USDA Foods unseasoned chicken strip provides school nutrition professionals with a versatile and healthy option to add to their recipes.  USDA develops new products for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) based on feedback from states and school districts.  Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how chicken flies the coop from farms to a pilot program to cafeterias across the country.

Did you know that on any given day, USDA Foods comprise 15 to 20 percent of the value of food served on the lunch line, or that the School Year 2015 Foods Available List contains more than 200 options?  For more than 70 years, USDA has provided states with 100 percent American grown food for school lunches to support the dual mission of strengthening our nutrition safety net and supporting American agriculture.  The unseasoned, non-breaded chicken strip is just the latest contribution to a long history of providing nutritious foods for school meals.

The idea for the new product hatched when USDA staff heard from many states and school districts interested in a more versatile, lower sodium chicken option for their meal programs.  USDA Foods already offered the popular fajita chicken strips with seasoning, but schools expressed interest in a chicken strip without seasoning so school chefs could adapt it for multiple recipes.  The new product is perfect in salads, wraps, burritos, and stir fries, among other dishes.  While the lower sodium content and the easy-to-use “strips” assist schools in meeting new meal pattern requirements.

USDA asked states to volunteer for a pilot program to test out the new chicken strip.  Nine states representing all seven Food and Nutrition Service regions were selected to order the product and try it out during the fall of 2014.  USDA staff then surveyed participants to get their feedback on the chicken strip’s taste, texture, and ease of use in the kitchen.  Their input was overwhelmingly positive, and with a few tweaks, all states are able to order the product for schools to serve in spring 2015.

Are you a school nutrition or food service professional with ideas for new USDA Foods for the NSLP?  If so, USDA would love to hear from you!  You can send your comments to USDAFoods@fns.usda.gov.

To learn more about FNS nutrition assistance efforts, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usdanutrition.

Green Thumbs near Green Bay: Menominee Tribe Cultivates Nutrition Education

From USDA:

Posted by Lindsay Walle, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Food Distribution Division, on December 5, 2014 at 10:00 AM

Participants in the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin’s monthly cooking class sample the new recipes they learned to prepare, cereal treats with wheat bran flakes and zippy zucchini salad. USDA Photo by Bob Nichols.

Cooking knowledge, proper planning, and access to healthy foods are essential ingredients to healthy diets.  I witnessed this firsthand when I traveled to the food distribution center of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, one of the 20 Indian Tribal Organizations that received funding in 2014 from USDA’s Food Distribution Program Nutrition Education (FDPNE) grants.  Their programs offer cooking classes, recipes, nutrition education and resources for Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) participants as well as manage a community garden program which provides fresh fruits and vegetables for tribal members.

Creativity and partnerships allow the Menominee’s innovative educational activities to serve as a shining example of best practices.  A monthly cooking class combines instruction about basic cooking and food safety with interactive games and hands-on recipe preparation.  The class is a joint venture among FDPIR, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Community Resources Center, and the University of Wisconsin-Extension.

The day my colleagues and I visited, the lesson theme focused on eating away from home.  Attendees shared reasons they eat out, such as celebrations, convenience, or camaraderie.  A scenario game prompted participants to consider how the interrelated factors of time, money, nutritional value, and social pressure influence their decision-making.  After brainstorming strategies to better manage and plan ahead for everyday challenges, the class transitioned to the kitchen area to learn how to prepare zippy zucchini salad and cereal treats with wheat bran flakes.

Gardening is very popular among the Menominee.  The food distribution center maintains a community garden as well as raised beds that provide fresh produce – from bok choy to snow peas – to clients.  The tribe also seeks to bring gardening home to its members.  Using FDPNE grant funds, staff members have the resources available to rototill plots of land, distribute seeds and gardening tools, and build raised planting beds for the elderly and those with disabilities.

Canning classes go beyond traditional jams and jellies.  These classes enable participants to enjoy local produce, such as apples and tomatoes, year-round.  Everyone goes home not only with new skills and ideas but also with a portion of the session’s products.

In addition to the cooking and canning classes, nutrition educators conduct monthly tastings and present “learn while you wait” visuals to clients coming in to pick up their FDPIR food packages.  Resource management, making ends meet, and the tendency to think one day at a time rather than long-term are struggles Jennifer Gauthier of UW-Extension witnesses with her clients.  By providing strategies to eat both affordably and healthily, the Menominee’s nutrition education programs are making a difference, one household at a time.

An attendee of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin’s cooking class prepares a zippy zucchini salad recipe using zucchini from the garden at the food distribution center. USDA Photo by Bob Nichols.