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Children get Healthy Whole Fruit Smoothies Through School Lunch Program
Toledo Ohio – A unique partnership between school lunch provider Meals Inc. and whole fruit smoothie operator Fruit Scoopers has garnered local attention for the use of whole fruit smoothies within school lunches.
The pilot program officially began May 4th 2010 when 320 smoothies were served ice cold to charter school students located within the Toledo metro area.
The selected students were a mixed age from elementary through high school at Achieve, Polly Fox and Wildwood Academies. Response from the classrooms was positive as many students enjoyed drinking the federally mandated fruit portion of their school lunch instead of less popular fruit options.
Each eight-ounce smoothie contained four ounces of whole fruit, three ounces of one hundred percent juice, one ounce of low fat natural yogurt and a small amount of honey.
The high quality fruit and other ingredients used do provide some challenges for the pilot program and schools to overcome if it is to become an ongoing healthy part of school lunches. Ripe bananas were sourced from local grocery stores and northern Michigan grown cherries were selected because of their excellent flavor, health benefits and relative proximity to Toledo. Special arrangements had to be made to get the 240 lbs of cherries from northern Michigan to Toledo as no local distributors exist. According to Fruit Scoopers owner Scott Francis the high distribution costs of the fruit would be absorbed further once the pilot program is expanded and rolled out to additional schools. Francis says,
“This pilot program is intended to prove that whole fruit smoothies are a very healthy and viable option for inclusion in school lunches. Corporate sponsorships and grant money are a few of the possibilities we are considering to help expand the program to all school children in Northwest Ohio”.
The pilot program is scheduled to continue for another three weeks during the month of May at roughly a dozen schools. Further information on the program can be obtained through Tony Siebeneck of Feed Lucas County Children or Scott Francis of Fruit Scoopers at (419) 283-8442.
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Copyright © 2010 Feed Lucas County Children Inc., All rights reserved
In accordance with Federal law and US Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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