NERAHN: Northeast Regional Anti-Hunger Network

Addressing Meal Quality

Improving meal quality is a demonstrated strategy for increasing participation in the summer meal programs. The four states participating in the UPS Project worked with their target communities to address meal quality and came up with numerous strategies. At the same time, the Project participants sought to improve the nutritional quality of the food served through the SFSP because of the clear link between hunger and obesity. By providing nutritious foods, the SFSP can address the epidemic of obesity that affects up to 16 percent of children in this country (Hedley, A.A. et al., Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among U.S. Children and Adolescents, 1999-2000, JAMA, 2002).

Food Preparation and Variety of Food

The quality of the food served at SFSP sites has a big impact on the number of children participating throughout the summer. Children need a variety of meals components that are appealing and accessible.

Recommendations:

Focus on food packaging to prevent meals from getting crushed or soggy.
- Members of the Vergennes, VT community coalition and Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger staff met with the local sponsor to discuss meal quality. The sponsor agreed to send sandwich ingredients to sites unassembled to reduce the likelihood that they would arrive soggy and unappetizing. Individual lunch components were packaged separately, instead of together in one large container, to prevent food from mixing together during transport.
Focus on food preparation to make foods easier to eat and more appealing to children.
- For example, cut apples into manageable slices instead of serving a whole apple. Cut cucumbers into wheels and serve with low-fat dressing.
Increase menu variety by including different types of sandwiches, fruits, and vegetables, adding salads, and serving both hot and cold meals, if possible.
Survey kids, parents, and site staff about food preferences, acceptance, and waste.

The sponsor in Queens, NY conducted surveys with children to find out what types of sandwiches, fruits, and vegetables they preferred. The sponsor was able to use this information the following summer to redesign both the menu and recipes as well as introduce theme days, like “Taco Day”, throughout the summer to make the meals more enticing.

Incorporate locally grown produce into your meals which is fresher and often more flavorful.
- The sponsor in Lamoille North Supervisory Union, VT received donations of vegetables from the Northeast Organic Farmer’s Association (NOFA) and was able to establish a volunteer effort organized in collaboration with NOFA to offer taste testing and food-related programming to kids.

In Vergennes, VT, the community coalition worked with the organizer of the area farmers markets to arrange for weekly produce donations. This allowed sponsors to stretch their per-meal SFSP reimbursement and in turn improved meal quality.

Nutritional Guidelines and Information

For many children, the Summer Food Service Program provides critical meals that they might otherwise go without. For this reason improving the nutritional content of summer meals both helps combat the childhood obesity epidemic and sends children back to school in the fall healthy and ready to learn.

Recommendations:

Make improvements to the SFSP meal nutrition guidelines to ensure healthier menus
- The sponsor of the West Springfield Boys and Girls Club site in Massachusetts improved the nutritional value of the meals served in 2008 by adopting Project Bread’s Better Summer Meals nutritional guidelines, which are above and beyond the requirements of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These improvements include an increase in the amount of whole grains served and a decrease in the amount of sugar and saturated fat served. In addition, the sponsor of two other sites in West Springfield switched from serving chocolate milk to serving white milk, and a third sponsor switched from serving breakfast pastries to bagels in morning SFSP meals.
- In Albany, NY, a new sponsor significantly improved the quality of the meals served in 2007 compared to 2006 by serving a greater variety of fruits and vegetables and sandwich breads—such as rye bread and whole wheat bread and buns; substituting baked chips, pretzels, sun chips, and crackers for regular potato chips; and serving salad one day a week instead of a sandwich.

Purchase water coolers for dispensing water at sites.
- Children require proper hydration throughout the summer. Many sponsors serve calorie dense juice as a way to meet the required fruit component and ensure hydration. However, sponsors can replace juice with fresh fruit and provide water in order to improve the nutritional content of the summer meal and quench kids’ thirst during the hot summer months.
Post nutritional information about the meals served at sites and provide nutritional education materials to promote the healthy foods.
Use dieticians to help develop summer menus.
- In Middletown CT, the anticipated increase in meals resulting from adding five new sites in 2008 allowed Community Renewal Team of MIddletown to hire another dietitian for meal production.

Programming

SFSP sites that have recreational and educational activities for children are often more successful and have higher participation rates. Incorporating nutrition education programming will encourage healthy eating habits in the future and give the children a reason to return.

Recommendations:

Provide gardening and nutrition education at sites
- In Hartford, CT, nutrition and dietetic students from the University of Connecticut provided nutrition games and “give-aways” at multiple SFSP sites two days a week for five weeks of the summer to teach healthy eating habits and nutrition awareness to participating children.
- In Middletown, CT, locally grown organic produce was incorporated into the meals via a student-run community agriculture group. The students organized gardening and nutrition activities that incorporated fresh fruits and vegetables in the meals and taught the kids about the many benefits of eating each item.

Organize reoccurring theme days throughout the summer.
- For example; Mexican, Italian, or Chinese food days.
Taste tests
- A Rensselaer County, NY sponsor partnered with Cornell Cooperative Extension to do milk taste tests at several of the SFSP sites. They had the kids do a comparison test of all types of milk and then fill out a questionnaire about which was their favorite and which they thought was the most nutritious.
Item of the week
- In Lamoille North Supervisory Union, VT, the sponsor featured a taste test “Item of the Week” and then incorporated that item into a lunch later in the week (i.e. plums, hummus, and sweet potatoes). Many children were introduced to food they had never tasted before and enjoyed trying a variety of healthy foods.

Sample Materials:

Nutrition Guidelines
Better Summer Meal Guidelines - MA

Surveys
Older Child Lunch Survey – NY
Younger Child Lunch Survey – NY

Sample Menus
Sample Menu 2007 – CT
Sample Menu 2008 – CT
Sample Menu 2007 – MA
Sample Menu 2008 – MA
Sample Menu 2007 – NY
Sample Menu 2008 – NY
Sample Menu 2007 – VT
Sample Menu 2008 – VT

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