Red Peppers and Dedication
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Due to a focus on good nutrition and the availability of local
foods, schools in Hawkins County have stopped serving French
fries to students. Instead, a local potato grower now processes
his potatoes into seasoned, baked potato wedges at a local USDA
certified community kitchen and sells them to the schools. Other
popular local products served by Alice are lettuce, carrots,
Easter egg radishes, strawberries, melons, tomatoes, spinach,
and mustard greens. How does she do it?
An interview with Alice Snodgrass, Child Nutrition Director for Hawkins County Schools in East Tennessee
Q. What led you to become a Child Nutrition Director?
A. Oh, the job I said I’d never have. I’m a teacher by
trade. I taught culinary arts at the high school level for 12 years and have
been in
food service for 10 years off and on now. I was asked to take this job, which
I originally turned down. I thought I was getting too close to retirement age
to take this job, but retirement age seems to still be out in the future.
Q. How does your background help you in implementing farm to
school?
A. The key is education, which is where my teaching training
comes in. Change needs to come from education in our fast food
culture. We are in a generation where parents are busy and do
not cook. We need food demonstrations of fresh fruits and vegetables
which will at least share some basic preparation skills with
parents and students. Parents need to be educated just as well
as the children on the benefits of healthier eating.
Q. Speaking of children, how many schools are in Hawkins County?
A. Seventeen. We are in a low income county. Most of our children
will not be able to get fresh fruits and vegetables if we don’t
serve them in our schools. I’d estimate 60 plus percent
are free and reduced.
Q. When did you first learn about farm to school?
A. I heard about farm to school years ago—about 20 years
ago. Guidelines came along that said we could buy locally, but
the movement was already there. For three years we tried to get
produce from local farmers, but the USDA said we couldn’t
give geographic preference to them. That is now being changed
with recent legislation.
Q. Where do you source your local produce from?
A. I mostly deal with one farmer at this time. I do part of the
deliveries, and I have a courier that goes from school to school
each day. One farmer, Bill Davidson, (10 miles from my office)
provides me with fresh potato wedges, strawberries, which are
wonderful (the strawberries from the Department of Defense
and other produce providers cannot be delivered to me as fresh
as the ones grown locally) watermelon, and cantaloupe. I tried
to source grapes from him, but that didn’t work. A wily
worm in one grape caused a problem and we decided not to use
grapes on our menu. If we don’t get grapes locally, we
typically cannot get those that are grown in the USA.
I am working with Lisa Long, Farm to School, and Jubilee Project Inc. on finding growers to try to incorporate lettuce in the fall. I use a variety of lettuce and spinach in my salad. I would much prefer spinach from a local grower. Yes, it may be more expensive and may take a little more labor since it doesn’t come in a package, but it is worth it. Our students seem to enjoy the salads.
Q. Do you have any food safety concerns?
A. People are concerned about food safety. To me, it’s
a no brainer…do I get produce from a farmer within my county
or from a farm in California where it sat on a dock for a couple
days and then travels 2000 miles. Farm to School = Fresher and
Safer.
When I buy from a produce company, I basically have to take what they give me. But not with Bill. Once when I asked for watermelon and cantaloupe from Bill, he told me they weren’t good so he didn’t send them to me. I appreciate him telling me and understanding the value of quality melons for our students. Produce from local farmers is by far superior to what I have to take from a produce company. Farm to School = Fresher Safer
Q. What aspect of farm to school makes it worth it?
A. For the students that I feed, they deserve the best that I
can give. I see no other way than farm to school at this time
for the very best product…it is fresh, better, and not
as highly processed. I am willing to work on this as long as
I can do it legally and stay in compliance with USDA. Children
are eating the fresh fruits and vegetables and are taking the
salad option. It was a shock to me when we started the salads.
I have been surprised at the number of children that eat the
salads.
Even today, children are choosing the salad as a component to the reimbursable meal. Participation has been great in the area of fresh fruits and vegetables for the last three years: apple/orange wedges, carrot sticks, peppers, melon, etc. are always available for kids that want them. I am still surprised and pleased to see how many take the salad for lunch. I also work with our family resources to do some demonstrations on how you can use fresh fruits and vegetables.
Q. What vegetable do the children like best?
A. One of their favorite things is the red pepper. It’s
different and that is fun for them. Managers cut them in strips
and kids pick them up and eat them. If it is out there, children
will eat it. Of course, some won’t touch it, but there
is access to it and opportunities to try.
Q. What other kind of changes have been made?
A. I have seen a lot of changes in the last six years; I want
as much perfection as I can get. Processed food is what we
can afford, but we strive for as fresh and tasty as we can.
No more fried foods. Instead we serve roasted and steamed potatoes.
The deep fryers were taken out of all the schools except two
high schools three years ago. The industry is giving us more
options for baked potatoes, etc. The main problem has been labor
because it was easy to dip everything in the deep fryer. It has
been getting easier with the kids, but at first they complained
about no French fries. There were no comments from parents that
I have received.
Tennessee also has the “vending machine bill” that only allows certain items to be sold a la carte, which helps with our efforts.
Q. Did this program need start up funds and if so, how much
grant $$$?
A. No, we have not received any grant funding, and that
is a problem because produce is relatively expensive. I would love
a local source for peppers, red and green. They are just so expensive.
I just applied for a state grant through the USDA for fresh fruits
and vegetables for schools…I’ll find out if we got
it in July.
Q. What are barriers to entry and sustainability?
A. Cost is a barrier, especially with fuel prices so high. I
also wonder as this catches on with other school systems, will
there be enough fresh produce for all schools? I use a lot
of cucumbers. For example, I see a barrier that if the demand
is there can our local growers meet the demand. I also think
transportation is an issue because my bid includes delivery
in a refrigerated truck.
Q. Advice for fellow food service directors, farmers, parents,
school administrators?
A. Make the best of what you have. By that I mean, more
equipment is not always needed nor have I had to hire extra staff.
We also
need to educate fellow food service directors and parents and
have them buy into the benefits of fresh food. We don’t
have a whole lot of money to throw away, so to speak, so we need
to make sure that we have the best quality and most nutritious
foods available for our school children.
My
biggest advice is dedication. We need to be dedicated to the
end result,
which is a child, who may have to take care of
me in a nursing home. Any study I read or listen to, tells me
we have health problems in the United States. We have problems
with childhood obesity, diabetes, blood pressure, diet-related
diseases…diet is key. Some prefer to take a pill, but if
I can better their health with healthy, nutritious eating habits,
then that is the long term goal. When I retire, I want to say
I made an effort to make a difference in the health of children.
Thank you, Alice, for all that you do!