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This week we’re celebrating five school districts in Washington state which have gone the extra mile to improve students' food choices and up their activity levels in the schools. Organic salad bars, yogurt parfaits, and skinless chicken breasts are among the new food items students get to sample. Stonyfield Farm has issued five cash awards to these innovative school districts. The "out of the lunchbox" idea in Olympia School District #113, winner of a $2,000 award, is a new requirement that freshmen in two high schools take part in a physical activity program and a health education course. Other schools are offering "garden-based learning," with up-close-and-personal experience in agriculture, science and nutrition. The School Board Challenge is part of Stonyfield’s Menu for Change program.
The Bellevue School District in Washington state will receive $3,000 this weekend from Stonyfield Farm as a reward for its innovative projects improving school nutrition. The rewards are part of our Menu for Change program. Elementary school cafeterias there now offer a hot, low-fat vegetarian item four times a week, and vegetarian entrees are now being offered to the middle and high schools. Students may also now opt for the "salad of the day," and they’ve banned the chicken patty (notoriously high in fat) in favor of skinless chicken breasts. Yogurt and string cheese have replaced donuts and ice cream as snack offerings. We honor the Bellevue Schools with a tip of our lids!
This weekend, five school districts in the state of Washington will receive cash prizes from Stonyfield Farm to reward their innovative efforts to improve school nutrition and physical activity options for their students. The Bellevue, Mill A, Olympia, Bellingham, and Snohomish districts each earned a prize.
In the Mill A district, which earned a $3000 award, baked potatoes and whole-wheat muffins are among the more healthy alternatives now offered in the cafeteria. That district also created a newsletter recipe page for parents to swap healthy recipes, and they expanded a fundraiser, once limited to candy sales, to include non-candy items.
Above: Mill A students chow down on healthier fare in their school cafeteria.
We're distributing awards of $1,000 to $3,000 to five school districts in Washington state, as a sponsor of the Washington School Board Challenge. This program is designed to encourage innovative approaches to improving school nutrition and physical activity programs. The awards will be given out this weekend at the Washington State PTA Convention in Seattle. We'll tell you about the award-winning program here in the upcoming days.
Our CE'Yo, Gary, said, “The Washington School Board Challenge demonstrates that when it comes to improving nutrition and physical activity programs, schools and students are only limited by their imaginations. These programs will be successful because they were created with input from teachers, administrators, parents, and, most importantly, students. We’re very pleased to recognize their efforts, and we encourage other schools to follow their lead.”
Apparently it pays to encourage school kids to lay off the soft drinks, even the diet sodas. In a small study reported by the British Medical Journal, kids age 7 to 11 who participated in a school program that discouraged consuming these drinks and
encouraged healthy eating lowered their obesity rates slightly, compared to their counterparts not in the program.
Here are some school success stories we've collected in our Menu for Change program.
The debut of our healthy vending machines two weeks ago in three San Francisco public schools drew praise from a San Francisco Chronicle editorial writer, but the following criticism from a reader in San Francisco.
'Sugar smoothie'
Editor -- Your editorial commending the San Francisco public schools for using snacks from Stonyfield Farm is naïve ("Healthier vending machines,'' April 13).
A look at the Stonyfield Farm Web site shows that one bottle (10 oz.) of "organic strawberry smoothie" contains 250 calories and a whopping 41 grams of sugar, indicating that 164 calories or 66 percent of the total calories are from sugar. The ingredient list shows that there is more added sugar than strawberries. So really the product should be called "organic sugar smoothie with strawberry flavoring." The same results are found for the other flavors.
Apparently, smooth advertising and an organic label are still able to mislead many consumers, but it is unfortunate that the San Francisco school district and The Chronicle are so gullible.
ROBERT KARIS
Yesterday we showed you a response by the school board folks who approved the healthy vending program. Today, here is a response from Stonyfield Farm CE-Yo, Gary Hirshberg:
To the Editor,
I had mixed feelings when reading Mr. Karis’ criticism of our Smoothies and our Healthy School Vending Program in last Friday’s San Francisco Chronicle. On the one hand, I was dismayed by Mr. Karis’ failure to recognize that this product offers far more nutritional benefit than any on the typical beverage choices offered to our children in schools these days. On the other hand, I was elated that a discussion about healthy food school choices would win a place in your paper. What a wonderful world it would be if everyone participated in an active dialogue about what constitutes the healthiest food choices for our schools!
The items that Stonyfield Farm installed in the healthy vending machines last week at Mission, Balboa and Lowell High Schools meet very stringent nutritional
guidelines set by the San Francisco Unified School District, guidelines which in fact exceed the state of California’s already rigorous nutrition standards.
In the case of Mr. Karis’ criticism of our yogurt Smoothies and their sugar content, the label is by no means misleading. It clearly states that our smoothie is a “drinkable lowfat yogurt.” Lactose found in dairy, and fructose found in fruit, are natural sugars. Although there is no standard definition for what constitutes a smoothie, they tend to be a combination of yogurt and juice, which ultimately means they will contain sugar.
In the 10 oz. Smoothie, the 41 grams of sugars on the label represent approximately 13% total sugar by weight in the product. There is only 8-9% added sugar by weight, which represents 27 grams of sugar, and the remaining 4-5% is naturally occurring sugar in the milk and fruit purees, representing 14 grams.
The scientific community agrees that consumers should limit their intake of added sugars, not natural sugars. The reason for this has to deal with energy-dense versus nutrient-dense foods. Energy-dense foods tend to be higher in calories and lower in nutrients. Nutrient-dense foods often contribute more nutrients to one’s diet as compared to calories.
The Stonyfield Farm Smoothie is a highly nutritious food choice – a fact that Mr. Karis failed to mention. It is easily digested, a good source of calcium, protein, and fiber, and contains other vitamins and minerals that are necessary for good health. The live active cultures that define yogurt have been shown to enhance digestion, improve nutrient absorption, inhibit disease-producing organisms, and fortify the body’s natural defenses. No soda or candy bar can claim these health benefits.
Stonyfield Farm is committed to using only 100% natural ingredients – never any artificial flavors, thickeners, or preservatives. Our smoothies also contain inulin, a natural dietary fiber that promotes good digestive health and significantly increases the absorption of calcium, without increasing the glucose level or insulin level in the blood.
It is true that our smoothies contain sugar but, the fact that kids love them and that they represent a vast improvement over conventional offerings, is something that makes us very proud. The San Francisco Unified School District should be commended for working hard to offer students more healthy choices.
Gary Hirshberg
President & CEO
Stonyfield Farm
The debut of our healthy vending machines two weeks ago in three San Francisco public schools drew praise from a San Francisco Chronicle editorial writer, but criticism from a reader in San Francisco.
'Sugar smoothie'
Editor -- Your editorial commending the San Francisco public schools for using snacks from Stonyfield Farm is naïve ("Healthier vending machines,'' April 13).
A look at the Stonyfield Farm Web site shows that one bottle (10 oz.) of "organic strawberry smoothie" contains 250 calories and a whopping 41 grams of sugar, indicating that 164 calories or 66 percent of the total calories are from sugar. The ingredient list shows that there is more added sugar than strawberries. So really the product should be called "organic sugar smoothie with strawberry flavoring." The same results are found for the other flavors.
Apparently, smooth advertising and an organic label are still able to mislead many consumers, but it is unfortunate that the San Francisco school district and The Chronicle are so gullible.
ROBERT KARIS
The folks from the San Francisco Unified School District, which approved the choices offered in the vending machine, weighed in at The Chronicle to defend their choices:
To the Editor
Robert Karis claimed that the San Francisco Unified School District was "gullible" to believe that Stonyfield Farm smoothies were a good choice to be featured in vending machines for students (Letters to the Editor, April 14th.) As a member of the committee which decided to approve these products for sale to SFUSD students, I feel it is important to point out that the school district's nutrition policy is not "low calorie" but rather "no empty calories." I have witnessed students making a breakfast or lunch of a bottle of soda (also about 250 calories, the same as the smoothie); the soda, however, contains no nutrients whatsoever beyond its calories, all of which come from the high fructose corn
syrup (sugar) in the drink. Soda is the very definition of "empty calories." By contrast, the Stonyfield smoothies contain 40% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance of calcium (an essential nutrient lacking in the diets of most teenagers, especially girls), as well as 30% of the riboflavin, and significant amounts of vitamin B12, thiamin, magnesium, and several other essential vitamins and minerals. The 250 calories of a Stonyfield smoothie are by no means "empty calories", and represent a far healthier breakfast or lunch choice than a soda.
Dana Woldow
Co-chair, SFUSD Student Nutrition/Physical Activity Committee
Tomorrow, we'll give you the response from Stonyfield's CE'Yo, Gary Hirshberg.
On May 1, five school districts in the state of Washington will receive a cash award from Stonyfield Farm, during the Washington PTA Conference. Many states have already begun to address the problem of childhood obesity by enacting legislation that mandates changes in schools. We are committed to advocacy work and to supporting legislation on behalf of childhood nutrition. Visit our model legislation page to see sample legislation and letters of support.
Even a paradise like Hawaii is having a challenge with overweight kids and junk food in schools. However, on April 4, the state’s school board voted to ban the sale of soft drinks in the school’s vending machines, opting instead for fruit juice, water and milk. Here are 10 Steps for you to review if you and your school are looking for ways to help kids eat better food.
We at Stonyfield Farm are in the middle of another effort to help public schools feed kids more nutritiously. Six schools in California and five schools in Washington are about to receive cash awards from Stonyfield Farm for their creative efforts. We’ll announce those winners and their projects soon! In these two states, we teamed up with some grassroots’ groups who were interested in making a difference. Check our Action Kit in case you, too, are thinking, “There must be something I can do about this issue?” There is!
We were thrilled to have U.S. Representative Lois Capps (D-Dist. 23-CA), attend the Santa Barbara High School press conference last week. She is a former school nurse and is preparing legislation addressing the need for improved nutrition programs in schools.
While setting up for the healthy vending press conference in Santa Barbara last Friday, we offered students a chance to take a free smoothie. About 200 smoothies disappeared in less than 10 minutes! Who says kids won’t eat healthy stuff?
--Carmelle, Communications
Current Yogurt Obsession: Peach Smoothie
I sat next to an M.D. on the flight from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles, after the healthy vending machine press conference event at the Santa Barbara High School. Of course, I talked with himi about my work with Stonyfield and the Menu for Change program. "That’s all over the news," he said to me. "Like someone found a cure for cancer or something." I responded, "Well, maybe healthy eating is the cure for cancer." Here’s what the local television stationhad to say about this event.
--Carmelle, Communications
Current yogurt obsession: peach smoothie
Stonyfield's healthy vending machines were introduced to the public and, more importantly, the kids at Santa Barbara High School on April 9, with a chorus of vegetables mugging for the press cameras. Students got into the game by dressing as a zucchini, a strawberry and a carrot, and they spoke about the merits of eating healthy. Talk about smart veggies--the zucchini was recently accepted to Duke University.
Carmelle, Communications
--Current Yogurt Obsession: Peach Smoothie
We got a report from a 16-year-old baseball player in a school with one of our healthy vending machines. While understandably skeptical about a chocolate soy milk product being sold in the new machine, he was quoted as saying, “Most kids think soy and go ‘eeuuw,’ but it [tastes] nice going down.” And he paid a buck for it.
Granola bars, cereal bars, pretzels, 100 percent fruit juice, soy milk, trail mix, and dried fruit--they're all arriving today in three public schools in San Francisco! Doesn't sound like a big deal, does it? It is. They're arriving as part of Stonyfield's healthy vending program.
You might think getting vending machines with healthier food into public schools wouldn’t be that difficult, but the truth is, junk food is a money maker for schools that are constantly hard-pressed for cash. One principal who did agree to the machines, nevertheless pointed out that vending machine proceeds help pay for the extras like “tournament banners, cheerleading uniforms, teacher workshops, field trips and more.” Junk food makers pay a fee to schools to place their vending machines there. Without that revenue, school officials worry they won’t be able to meet their budgets. Stonyfield provides the machines for free and sells the snacks at a discount, with the school keeping any profits. Tell us what your local school district is doing to promote healthier eating among its kids.
Tomorrow our healthy vending machines make their debut in three public schools in San Francisco and then, on Friday, in three more in Santa Barbara. We're very excited!
One reason we're involved in putting healthy food (including our own yogurts, of course!) into school vending machines is the alarming rise in child obesity rates. Though that’s not the only reason to get kids to eat food that’s better for them, it’s a good one. Obesity is leading to all sorts of other epidemics, not the least of which is Type 2 diabetes. Want to learn more about obesity and children? Pick up our obesity primer.
Stonyfield Farm’s smoothies are one of the many popular items we offer in the healthy vending machines for public schools. Erin, our go-to gal for the machines, sends this field report from Massachusetts, where the healthy vending machines launched last week:
“Friday was a happy day. I spent the morning at one school helping the business class that will be running the program order products and set up their machine. Afterward I drove to another school to help with their sampling day. (Of course, this was the first day I ever locked my keys in the car! Luckily, an extra set of keys was only 15 minutes away!)
To add to my luck, I had a bit of a “smoothie explosion” at the sampling event. Since there were only two of us distributing samples, we were rather busy running around getting samples, pouring products, etc. In my haste I forgot that I had already opened a smoothie but didn’t tighten the cap. Well, when I went to shake it up, the smoothie went everywhere! All over me, a few students, the table – what a mess! It was actually very funny – wish someone had a camera…”
-- Erin, Menu for Change Special Events
Current yogurt obsession: Peach Smoothie
We all know what junk food is, don’t we? But did you know the Centers for Disease Control has an official definition?: “Foods which provide calories primarily through fats or added sugars and have minimal amounts of vitamins and minerals.” Isn’t that just about everything you see in a vending machine? Here are the guidelines for snacks appearing in Stonyfield Farm’s Healthy Vending Machines: The items must have no more than 35 percent of its calories from fat; no more than 10 percent of its calories from saturated fat; and no more than 35 percent sugar by weight.
Because she’s coordinating the healthy vending machine effort, Erin here at Stonyfield Farm gets lots of samples sent her way from snack-making companies. Just yesterday she received dozens of bags of wonderfully delicious cookies to consider. They were great, but Erin had to reject them because they were too high in fat.
Our company president, Gary, says, “We don’t want to be eco-fascists,” but he does hope to make it “cool” for school kids to chug down a yogurt smoothie. “If they do that,” he said, “they can have a Kit Kat once in a while."
Erin is my cubicle neighbor. For the past two weeks, Erin has had a phone attached to her ear. She’s the go-to gal if you want to get a healthy food vending machine at your own public school. We have a waiting list of more than 350 schools. Erin is trying to keep up with the demand, but she really needs to have her own vending machine in her cubicle so she won’t be tempted to skip lunch. Soon we’ll share with you the story of the birth of this revolutionary idea that kids should have healthy food in their schools.
--Chris, Chief Blogger
Stonyfield Farm has gone back to school. To curb the rise in junk food consumption, we’re trying to give kids another food choice, at least in their schools. Our healthy vending machines are already operating in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, with more coming any day in California and New Hampshire. Snack items sold in our vending machines must be completely natural or organic, low in fat, low in saturated fat and low in sugar. More importantly, they have to be kid-approved. Those kids taste-test everything.
Here at the Creating Healthy Kids Blog, we want to hear about others’ efforts to help kids to eat better—in school or out—and maybe help you think about helping your own schools help kids eat better. For news on how you might be able to make a difference, check out our Menu for Change area and learn the 10 steps to bringing healthier food into schools.
