Fresh Bites Summer Edition 2021

COMMITTEES Industry

Industry Feature

Partnerships with American Dairy Association North East Shine Spotlight on School Meals

All NeW “Yogurt All Ways” Digital Toolkit Now Available for School Nutrition Directors

BY GREG SZKLANY American Dairy Association North East

American Dairy Association North East works closely with schools on programs that ensure students are well nourished and have access to healthy meals. From providing equipment and in-school and digital marketing materials, to collecting and analyzing data on the effectiveness of programs, our Youth Nutrition Specialists are eager to assist your efforts in increasing school meal participation. We are proud to support and help implement programs that improve student access to nutritious school meals. For example, Breakfast After the Bell boosts meal participation by making breakfast part of the school day, through a variety of convenient service delivery models. And the widely popular Fuel Up to Play 60 program is a partnership between local dairy farmers and the National Football League that encourages students to eat nutritious school meals daily, which includes dairy, fruit, vegetables, and whole grains, and exercise for 60 minutes a day. American Dairy Association North East is continually updating and developing new tools to help school nutrition directors increase school meal participation and raise awareness of the availability of school meals. Our Nutrition Connection website hosts a School Nutrition Toolkit , meal service recommendations , and plenty of menu and recipe ideas .

We appreciate all that you do for your students’ well- being, andwe are excited to share your success stories! Together we’ve been able to highlight those successes through our work with the media. During National School Breakfast Week (March 8-12), American Dairy Association North East teamed up with several school districts across New York State to highlight the importance of school meals. Local news coverage presented Buffalo Public Schools with a great opportunity to launch breakfast offerings with their “Farm to School to You” food truck and publicly introduce Buffalo’s new culinary school, which was initially unveiled in March 2020 and hopes to be fully operational next school year. Johnson City Central School District received positive news coverage surrounding their efforts to continue feeding students throughout the pandemic, which included loading school buses to deliver meals to remote students. At American Dairy Association North East, our priority is to work with you to find new and innovative ways to increase student access to nutritious school meals, and we’re pleased to raise community awareness of your efforts. For more information on our programs and resources, please contact us at schools@milk4u. org . We’re here to help!

BY GREG SZKLANY American Dairy Association North East

FreshBites As schools continue to seek new and improved menu offerings to keep students excited about school meals, one product is making a case to be the most versatile in the cafeteria – yogurt! Students love the taste of yogurt! It’s delicious and nutritious - high in protein and calcium. And yogurt continues to grow in popularity for its ability to be used in a variety of ways – either as a standalone option or as an ingredient in many innovative recipes. With this in mind, American Dairy Association North East developed the “Yogurt All Ways” digital toolkit to share newways for schools to include yogurt on the menu. From cups and dips to smoothies and parfaits, yogurt can be enjoyed any time of the day. Smoothies and parfaits with fruit make great breakfast or snack options, while savory parfaits are ideal for lunch or dinner. The toolkit is packed with resources for school nutrition directors, including recipes, posters, tip sheets, serving guidelines, presentation suggestions and more! Recently, American Dairy Association North East partnered with Brighton Central School District in Rochester, N.Y., to demonstrate how to make blueberry smoothies using just three simple ingredients – yogurt, milk, and blueberries. The video also highlights key equipment used throughout the process - a blender that produces eight 16-ounce smoothies and an insulated bag to keep products cold and ensure a smooth delivery to students.

SUMMER 2021 American Dairy Association North East also assisted the Schenectady Central School District with a drive- thru meal distribution to students this spring to kick- off their new yogurt program. The smoothie included with their meals was featured in the new “Yogurt All Ways” digital toolkit and was served to more than 1,500 students. American Dairy Association North East is constantly developing new tools and resources to help schools increase their meal participation. In addition to the “Yogurt All Ways” toolkit, the Nutrition Connection website serves as a hub for school nutrition staff to find resources on program guidelines, menu and recipe ideas, meal service models, equipment recommendations and so much more. Our Youth Nutrition Specialists are also here to help! Please contact us at schools@milk4u.org .

Our website hosts a School NutritionToolkit, meal service recommendations, and plenty of menu and recipe ideas.

FreshBites

SUMMER 2021