Healthier meals appeal to Seneca Valley students, food director says – Tribune-Review

Healthier dishes appeal to Seneca Valley students, meals director says

By Vince Townley | Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016, 1:36 p.m.

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Updated 2 hours ago

Seneca Valley meals service director Darlene Carmack said she has actually seen remarkable advances in the quality of school lunches in her district and across the country since the Enhancing Healthy, Hunger-Free Youngsters Act became law in 2010.

The last thing she wishes to see is any steps backward.

Carmack was one of two Western Pennsylvania school meals service directors that were to travel to Washington, D.C. on Feb. 22 and 23 to meet along with Congressional representatives to encourage reauthorization of the school nourishment standards.

She and Tazeen Chowdhury of the Mt. Lebanon School District were scheduled to meet along with U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly and Sens. Bob Casey and Pat Toomey to explain how the regulations have actually improved nutrition.

“We merely want them to keep on exactly what they started,” Carmack said. “There is no should adjustment exactly what is working.”

The original act expired in September. The reauthorization, known as the Enhancing Kid nourishment Integrity and Access Act of 2016, awaits action in the U.S. Senate.

The stricter regulations met along with opposition in some districts. Students and even some parents complained concerning smaller sized sections and the loss of some traditional cafeteria staples, yet Carmack said complaints faded as districts adapted to the Brand-new rules.

The keys to getting students to embrace healthier menus include offering a variety of choices and focusing on how meals are presented, she said.

“Youngsters consume along with their eyes,” Carmack said. “If something looks good — is presented in an attractive method — they will certainly be more willing to try it.”

Carmack said Seneca Valley began to move toward healthier and a lot more nutritious cafeteria selections prior to the law took effect in 2010. Deep fried meals have actually long been gone, and a lot more whole grains have actually been added.

In addition to a main entrée each day, Seneca Valley offers themed lines where students can easily go with from an array of salads, wraps and pizza, or load their trays along with as lots of fresh fruits and vegetables as they want. Nutritional short article for all the offerings is clearly posted.

“We wish to offer students a possibility to make a healthy and balanced choice,” Carmack said.

For Cathy Ratay, cafeteria manager at Seneca Valley Middle School, the changes over the past 5 years have actually been striking.

“There is not a single deep fryer in this place,” Ratay said of the cafeteria where she has actually worked for 23 years. “We are doing so more along with points like roasted vegetables and baked fries, and the Youngsters seem to like it.”

Ratay said it has actually been a learning process for her as well as the students.

“It’s a challenge to come up along with Healthy and balanced meals that students are going to like,” she said.

The middle school cafeteria serves an standard of a lot more compared to 1,100 students every day.

Carmack said while in Washington, she likewise would certainly encourage legislators to offer funding for school districts that might not have the ability to afford changes to their kitchens and cafeterias.

“We are quite fortunate at Seneca Valley,” Carmack said. “We have actually been able to update our infrastructure and equipment to meet the Brand-new demands.”

Vince Townley is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. Reach him or her at 724-772-6364 or vtownley@tribweb.com.

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