healthy food - Webinar: Farm to Summer: Incorporating local foods in Summer Food Service Programs - SIBEJO

MSU Center for Regional Food Systems

May 3, 2016 2:00-3:30 pm ET

Summer Food Service Programs can be an ideal time to start looking at local purchasing. At the height of the Michigan farming season, there is more local product available than at any other time in the year. Farmers are often willing to sell seconds or bulk surpluses at a discounted rate, and what better way to take advantage of those than in your Summer Food Service Program! Join the Michigan Department of Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture, and MSU Center for Regional Food Systems for an interactive and informative webinar covering all things Farm to Summer. Hear about farm to summer programs happening in Michigan, learn how to incorporate local purchasing into your site�s meal program, and see how Farm to Summer programs can increase nutritional quality of meals and boost participation rates. Register here. 

healthy food - KIDS ARE EATING HEALTHY SCHOOL LUNCHES - SIBEJO

Schools can serve healthy lunches, but whether kids will eat them is a question that has been asked often since 2012-13, when updated national nutrition standards led districts across the United States to raise the nutritional quality of their meals. Multiple studies comparing students� eating habits before and after these changes show that the answer is clearly yes.  For example, researchers from UConn�s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity weighed and photographed lunches served to children at 12 Connecticut schools. Compared with 2012, the amount of their entrees that children ate increased by nearly 13 percentage points in 2013, and 18 percentage points of their vegetables by 2014. Food waste declined as a result. The researchers also found that greater variety led to healthier choices. Each additional fruit option offered was associated with a 9.3% increase in fruit servings selected by students.

Source: Pew Charitable Trust, 4/14/16, School Lunches

healthy food - WIC CHANGES IMPROVE TODDLER�S NUTRITION - SIBEJO

A change to the WIC nutrition program improved the diets of millions of young children in low-income families, a new study says. Researchers compared the eating habits of nearly 1,200 2- to 4-year-olds in low-income households before and after WIC was changed in 2009. With the revamp, more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat milk were included in the WIC food voucher package.

The change improved the diets for the approximately 4 million children in the program, according to the University of California (UC) study published.

Source: Health Day, 4/7/16, WIC Changes Work

healthy food - Webinar: How to Successfully Implement Salad Bars in Your School Cafeteria - SIBEJO

Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools

Thursday, April 28, 3pm ET

School salad bars are one of the easiest ways to meet the fruit and vegetable standards for school lunch, increase participation in the lunch program, reduce plate waste and increase student�s fruit and vegetable consumption. The Let�s Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative has donated salad bars to more than 4,500 schools nationwide and has resources to help schools successfully implement salad bars. Hear from school food service directors about their experience with salad bars and how you can apply for salad bars from LMSB2S. Register here.

healthy food - It's National Zucchini Bread Day - SIBEJO

Happy National Zucchini Bread Day! While April may be a funny time to celebrate zucchini, many of us find that, after gardening season, we have zucchinis in the freezer for quite some time. To all of the home gardeners out there, are you looking for a tasty way to get rid of those extra zucchinis? Try this recipe that GardenShare�s intern Taylor Owen swears by (when her grandmother makes it, at least)!

This recipe freezes well and is enjoyable no matter the month! Enjoy!

healthy food - BOOSTING SNAP BENEFITS CHEAPER THAN CORPORATE TAX BREAKS - SIBEJO

A new report outlines four proposals to reduce poverty and expand opportunity for low-income Americans that would cost less than current tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy. For example, letting US corporations defer paying taxes on their overseas profits currently costs the treasury almost $65 billion a year. It would cost just 1/3 that amount, $ 21.6 billion, to base SNAP benefits on USDA�s low-cost food plan instead of the basic food plan that is now used. The basic plan yields $1.41 per meal on average in benefits; switching to the low-cost plan would boost benefits by 30%, to $1.83 per meal.

Source: Center for American Progress, 4/14/16, Alternatives to Poverty

healthy food - ChopChop: The Fun Cooking Magazine for Families - SIBEJO

The award-winning ChopChop Magazine is an engaging tool for teaching kids about food and where it comes from, cooking, nutrition and health. Inspire and teach kids to cook real food through delicious, kid-tested recipes, fun food facts and puzzles, gardening activities and games to keep kids moving. Teachers use ChopChop as part of wellness and nutrition education programs throughout the country. Available in English and Spanish and endorsed by the Academy of Pediatrics, ChopChop is a quarterly magazine and does not contain any advertising. You can purchase a 1-year subscription (4 issues) for just $14.95. Teachers can purchase a special classroom package of 30 copies for $40 (shipping and handling included). Each teacher package includes curriculum which includes classroom activities, printables and math lessons in math, science, ELA and social studies. Download a free sample of ChopChop curriculum here.  ChopChop can also be purchased in large quantities of boxes of 50 copies for $65/box (includes shipping). For more information on custom programs and pricing, please contact Evilee Ebb at ev@chopchopmag.org.