By Betsy Finklea
Dillon District Four students ate healthier school meals this past school year in compliance with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 School Meals.
The purpose of the act, which has been  promoted by First Lady Michelle Obama as part of her ‘Let’s Move’  initiative, has the goal of not only promoting better nutrition, but to also reduce obesity.
The new standards, which were in place for school meals, this year called for students to be offered fruits and vegetables daily; increased the whole grain food offerings; offered only fat-free or low-fat milk; focused on proper portion sizes by limiting calories based on the age of the child; zero transfats and promoted zero transfats and reducing the amounts of saturated fat, added sugars, and sodium.
Food Service Coordinator Dawn Bailey said that the new standards did affect the menu in Dillon District Four. Some of the changes included making the portion size for protein smaller at the high school level from three ounces to two ounces. Bailey said there was also an increase in the portion size for all fruits and vegetables for grades 4K-third grade from one-fourth cup to one-half cup.
“We have always had a minimum that was required to be served,” said Bailey, “but the Dillon Food Service has always chosen to use the enhanced menu planning. With the new regulations, our issue was not trying to meet the minimal requirement, but to stay inside of the maximum limit set by the new regulations.”
Meeting the requirements of the new regulations meant dropping some favorites from the menu such as mac and cheese, cheeseburgers, and their “wonderful” homemade cinnamon rolls. Some other items have been added though. The cheeseburger was replaced by a hamburger. They use all whole wheat bread products and serve items such as whole grain pizza and corn dogs, and whole grain pasta noodles for the spaghetti, beef-a-roni and lasagna. Brown rice has replaced white rice. A new popular item is the whole grain chocolate chip cookie, which Bailey calls “awesome” and says that “the students and faculty love it!”
How food is flavored has changed too, Bailey explains. “Less salt is used in preparation for the restrictions on sodium that come into effect in 2013. Butter and margarine have had to be removed from most all recipes in order to stay within the federal guidelines,” she said. “We are doing more with spices and seasoning blends to flavor the food.”
Bailey said lunch room staff have adapted well to the new standards. “Due to the fact that we knew this was the direction we were going to be headed into we had already begun to offer four fruits or vegetables daily, one of which was a fresh fruit or vegetable,’ Bailey said. “We met back last summer for our yearly summer work sessions and explained what this would entail. They all were very eager and willing to do their part with fighting childhood obesity in our schools here in Dillon District Four.”
Students have had a mixed reaction to the meals. “The kids have really enjoyed the fresh fruits this year,”  said Bailey. “We have broadened our choices and introduced more fruits to go along with the typical apple, banana and orange. We served kiwi, South Carolina peaches, sliced strawberries, plums, watermelon, cantaloupes, pluots, and nectarines.”
As far as vegetables, Bailey says that “the vegetables are slowly making their way from disappearing from some trays BEFORE they hit the trash cans, but I believe the limitations on seasoning has played a key role with them not being eaten as well as in previous years.” Some of the raw vegetables they served with fat-free ranch dip included sweet potato sticks, cauliflower, and green, yellow and red peppers. Others vegetables served included broccoli slaw, steamed zucchini and steamed broccoli, turnips, celery and carrot sticks, and tomato slices.
Bailey said there are other lunch options that students took advantage of this year. She said students may bring their own lunch packed from home. “We have seen some who have opted to do so this year more so than in years past,” said Bailey. The school offers “a chef salad as a second entrée option each day that includes a fruit or vegetable and milk.” Bailey said that “many of the students are choosing this on certain days that they may not enjoy the menu. We also sell a la carte items from the menu to our faculty and students also.”
“Dillon District Four has met all six cents certification requirements within our four-week rotating menu.,” said Bailey. “This means that because we have chosen to comply with the new federal guidelines, we will receive an increase of six cents per tray every day for our reimbursement on student meals to help offset the estimated 28 cent increase in the cost of tray.”
“This is a huge step for us because this will allow us to expand some of the choices we would like to offer the students while covering the increase of the costs on the fruits and vegetables,” Bailey said.
The changes haven’t stopped coming. In 2013-2014 breakfast requirements are also being focused on whole grain/protein, grade groups and minimum and maximum calories for grade group. Next year, there will be a greater focus on whole grains for the breakfast menu.