upLIFT Newsletter | SY 2022-2023 | Issue 5 | Feb 2023 |
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The Arizona Department of Education Health and Nutrition Services (HNS) is excited to continue the "Serve a Rainbow" initiative for this school year! This initiative aims to urge operators to promote a colorful spread of unique and delicious fruits and vegetables for students to enjoy throughout the school year. Every other month, HNS/upLIFT will announce a new "Serve a Rainbow" produce color for your team to feature and serve in your schools. Service can be as simple as a vegetable plated on a tray, or fruits and vegetables intricately presented to students in a colorful display or salad bar! The creativity is up to you!
Last month, HNS received photos from Humboldt Unified School District and Tucson Unified School District! Humboldt's team is given a lot of creative freedom when it comes to their "garden bars." They aim to utilize as much produce from DoD Fresh as possible and kitchen staff are directed to "brighten up" the garden bar in creative ways to entice students and staff. Sometimes it's as simple as putting googly eyes on a tomato! They offer a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, making sure to include all five vegetable subgroups each week. The team at Humboldt knows their hard work is paying off, as their students cannot wait to visit the salad bar and grab some of their favorites daily!
The locally grown French Breakfast Radishes from Pinnacle Farms were served at seven of Tucson Unified School District's (TUSD) Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program (FFVP) schools: Blenman Elementary, Davidson Elementary, Maldonado Elementary, Manzo Elementary, Tully Elementary, Van Buskirk Elementary & Roberts Naylor. The radishes were washed, trimmed and eaten fresh as a snack. Each student sampled a whole radish and nutrition education was provided to all schools. The team at TUSD is proud to offer one local vegetable or fruit each month at their FFVP schools! |
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The featured color for January and February is... |
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We challenge you to implement what you learn from the monthly webinars and resources to help you serve a unique variety of produce, rich in color over the course of this school year. Now is the time to show off your apples, strawberries, radishes, beets, watermelon and more! Email Ashley.Kennedy@azed.gov any pictures of your colorful service lines so we can showcase your beautiful produce in future upLIFT newsletters! HNS can't wait to see how YOU "serve a rainbow" to your students! |
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Join us for our upcoming upLIFT Webinar!
upLIFT Webinar Series: upLIFT Your Salad Bar! With Guest Speaker - Crane Elementary School District
February 21, 2023 at 1:30 pm
Are you interested in starting a school salad bar but need to know where to begin? Join us on February 21 and learn all about implementing a salad bar at your sites! The webinar will feature Michael Clark, Director of School Nutrition at Crane Elementary School District, where he will provide need-to-know considerations before you begin, steps to consider before you launch, food safety protocols, and requirements for making the salad bar part of a reimbursable meal. Learn how you can upLIFT your meal service, set the "bar" high for your produce presentation, and provide your students with a robust variety of fresh produce in an exciting setting. This webinar is not to be missed! |
Creighton School District offers two new delicious menu options!
Creighton School District in Phoenix, AZ has added two new fun menu options! These two menu options, restaurant style black beans, and 'chilaquiles' give students an opportunity to try out delicious cultural recipes in a school setting! They served these items with fresh watermelon and homemade salsa! Talk about an adventurous and yummy school meal!
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Research Rundown
This month's Research Rundown article examined the changes over time of the food component selection and consumption from students participating in the National School Lunch Program from 2012 to 2014. The study analyzed the concerns associated with the new school lunch policies implemented during the 2012-2013 school year. Read through this study to find out more about how students responded to changes to school lunch, and if plate waste decreased or increased as nutritional requirements shifted to new policies! |
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Together, we can influence positive
dietary behaviors in students! |
This institution is an equal opportunity provider. |
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