LAKEWOOD —School lunches have not had the best reputation over the years.
But Jeffco Public Schools officials said they’re pushing to make the meals better tasting and healthier as new U.S. Department of Agricultural nutritional standards continue to be rolled out.
This year, the Smart Snacks in School program mandates less sodium and more fruits and vegetables be served. Calorie, fat, sugar and sodium limits will be placed on snacks and drinks sold in school vending machines and elsewhere on school grounds.
It’s part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act passed in 2010 to help combat childhood obesity.
Standing in the district’s central kitchen at 809 Quail St. in Lakewood last week, Yuri Sanow, Jeffco’s executive chef, talked about the challenges of preparing 38,500 meals a day that meet nutritional requirements while clearing the highest bar of all — whether or not kids eat and enjoy the meal.
“I think the biggest challenge at first was getting all the manufacturers on board with changing the nutritional content of their products,” said Sanow, who works with 150 sites that serve food throughout the district. “Now our wheelhouse is mostly Mexican, Italian and Asian foods. I try to stick with that and don’t make anything too complicated.”
Hired in 2012 after a career preparing meals in casinos and resorts, Sanow now develops recipes, trains cafeteria managers, tests products, coordinates with local farm agents and runs a small production facility for Jeffco.
He said the district is phasing in more made-from-scratch meals and moving away from heat-and-serve.
Last year, barbecue fresh drumsticks were introduced and proved to be popular. Bangers and mash, a British comfort food of sausage and mashed potatoes, turned out to be a dud.
New selections this year include made-from-scratch pigs-in-a-blanket and meals made with fresh meat supplied by Boulder Natural Products: a leg/thigh combo served at high schools, a chicken chorizo quesadilla and meatloaf made from grass-fed beef.
“The meatloaf will be kind of less traditional — it’ll be more of a cheeseburger meatloaf, something a little more kid-friendly,” Sanow explained.
While Jeffco has not conducted a formal study, Linda Stoll, the executive director of food services for Jeffco Public Schools, said anecdotal information points to fruits and vegetables being more frequently consumed.
It’s not enough to just place carrot slices or whole apples on a plate, where they’ll probably end up in the trash. The secret, she said, is presenting healthy food in ways the students find appealing.
Last year, the district had 100,000 pounds of blueberries and strawberries left over. They were sent off to be cleaned, frozen and this year will be served as smoothies for breakfast.
She said the district will offer pizza more often this year. This time around though, it’ll have whole grain crust, low-sodium sauce and pepperoni made out of turkey meat.
“We don’t tell or advertise to kids that these are healthier options or they won’t eat it,” Stoll said. “It’s stealth health food, if you will.”
While Colorado leads the nation in the lowest percentage of overweight and obese adults, the Centennial State ranks 23rd in obesity levels among children and, that is rising at the second-fastest rate of increase in the nation.
According to the Colorado Department of Health and Environment, 23.5 percent of Jeffco youngsters aged 2 to 14 are overweight or obese, slightly lower than the state average of 25.8 percent.
“I think change overall can be challenging,” said Jane Brand, director of the Office of School Nutrition for the Colorado Department of Education. “Jeffco has done a good job of implementing more scratch cooking, more training. They changed their menus and are educating students and school staff on those changes.”
Austin Briggs: 303-954-1729, abriggs@denverpost.com
