October 7, 20011 -- In April 2011, the School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) launched Peer2Peer Connect, a new education and networking resource that connects SNA members and non-members via conference call and allows for real-time interaction and discussion of key issues affecting school nutrition programs. Designed especially for directors, area supervisors and managers, the goal of these FREE conference calls is to provide ample opportunity for members to share resources, ideas and strategies.
SNF is excited to announce the return of the Peer2Peer Connect conference call series for fall 2011:
To learn more about Peer2Peer Connect, listen to recordings of previous discussions, or register for upcoming Peer2Peer Connect calls, visit: www.schoolnutrition.org/Peer2Peer
October 7, 2011 -- On Wednesday, October 5, 2011 the School Nutrition Association was invited to be a part of the first Let's Move! Garden Harvest & Tweetup at the White House. @SchoolLunch (SNA’s voice on Twitter) and a select group of 16 other tweeps were chosen out of hundreds of applicants to meet with White House staff, observe First Lady Michelle Obama’s Fall Garden Harvest, and share their experience with followers on Twitter.
Let’s Move! is the First Lady’s initiative working to solve childhood obesity within a generation. The School Nutrition Association, whose members work every day to provide healthy school meals, was honored to be included in the tweetup and generate buzz around the First Lady’s efforts to improve child nutrition and get kids excited about healthy lifestyles.
Participating in the tweetup also gave @SchoolLunch the opportunity to connect with other tweeps focused on childhood obesity and link them and their followers with www.TrayTalk.org, showing how schools across the country have long supported Let’s Move! goals like offering more locally sourced produce and participating in the HealthierUS School Challenge.
First Lady Michelle Obama with Mia, harvesting peppers in the White House garden
You can revisit the conversations at www.twitter.com by searching the hashtags -- #LetsMove, #WHTweetUp, and for an insider’s view of the tweetup, read @SchoolLunch’s account of the day’s events below:
The afternoon began around 1:00 pm, when I met other tweeps outside the North West Gate of the White House. It felt like a scene out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. (But in this real life scenario, fresh vegetables were the reason for the behind the scenes tour!)
We toured the White House garden with Chef Sam Kass and learned about the variety of produce grown in the garden. He was very proud of the figs proclaiming, “Someone tweet this fig!” I also learned that the seeds from the garden came from Thomas Jefferson and that Eleanor Roosevelt was the last First Lady to have a garden at the White House!
We also learned about the beehive with White House carpenter and beekeeper Charlie Brandts. Did you know that 1 out of 3 bites of food are directly impacted by pollination? Even beef?
We then met with Let’s Move! Executive Director, Dr. Judith Palfrey, and Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Policy and Special Projects for the First Lady, Jocelyn Frye, to learn more about the origins of the Let’s Move! initiative. The First Lady has utilized and leveraged the garden to have more serious discussions about child nutrition issues.
After our policy discussion, we returned to the garden to watch the First Lady, along with students from Bancroft and Harriet Tubman Elementary Schools, harvest sweet potatoes and peppers for an upcoming State Dinner next week as well as for Miriam’s Kitchen, a local soup kitchen.
When the First Lady came out to greet everyone she gave a nod to the tweetup group, “Twitter fans in the house. Woo! You guys ready? Got your thumbs ready?" But her focus was on the children. She asked them enthusiastically, “Why are we here?” The first response was: “To learn how to eat healthy!” The second was: “To eat pizza!” Here is the recipe for what looked like delicious garden vegetable pizza.
Following the garden harvest, we were escorted to the White House Kitchen where Executive Chef Cris Comeford showed us how to squeeze all the MyPlate components into a delicious whole grain pita! This included a seasoned Greek yogurt sauce, marinated chicken breast, hummus, plenty of veggies and even apple slices. Following our kitchen tour, we were escorted off the White House grounds.
Throughout the afternoon of tweeting, I tweeted pics and tidbits about the day as well as resources for followers to see what great work is being done with school meals! by @SchoolLunch
@SchoolLunch has over 5,300 followers including national reporters, school food advocates, policy makers and parents.
October 6, 2011—Working together with school nutrition professionals, industry partners help to ensure that students receive high-quality school meals that meet nutrition standards. But what should school nutrition operators know about the industry side of the business?
The October issue of School Nutrition, SNA’s award-winning flagship publication, highlights aspects of the school nutrition profession from an industry perspective and examines how school nutrition operators and industry members best can work together to serve student customers.
The October issue also reveals the new products that caught the attention of School Nutrition’s Secret Shopper team at SNA’s Annual National Conference in Nashville and provides a fascinating look at the history of chili, plus suggestions for menuing it in your own operation.
In “Open for Business,” several seasoned industry partners discuss the joys and challenges of serving the unique K-12 school market. Be sure not to miss their insightful compliments and candor.
“Behind the Magic” takes School Nutrition readers behind the scenes with food manufacturers who share some of the steps and considerations involved in the product development process. Bonus Web Content: Bill Hargis, president and CEO of 4U2U Brands, LLC, shares reflections about his company’s efforts in creating healthy beverages that kids will drink, while Chuck Ainsworth, division manager, SFSPac Food Service Sanitation Systems, offers insights into developing new eco-friendly cleaning solutions.
The relationship between a food industry vendor and a school nutrition operation is something of a dance. Check out “Come Dance With Me” for a look at the steps and choreography needed to ensure a successful partnership.
“Secret Shopper: Mission Nashville” spotlights the creative innovations that School Nutrition’s independent team of Secret Shoppers found most intriguing at SNA’s Annual National Conference in Nashville. Bonus Web Content: This year’s Secret Shopper team discovered more products than we could showcase in the print version of School Nutrition, so don’t miss an additional set of Exhibit Hall shopping “finds” online.
There’s very little about chili that’s not up for debate: Its origins, its ingredients, its preparation—even the spelling of its name! “Great Bowls of Fire!” takes a closer look at the history behind this spicy concoction.
School Nutrition –October 2011