Anyone with comments about any federal nutrition programs administered by TDA is invited to tell us what's on their mind. TDA is holding a series of "listening sessions" across the state for program contractors, customers and the community at large to tell us what they're thinking. We want to hear feedback - good and bad - about our agency and our programs, suggestions about aspects that could be improved, anecdotes about experiences with the nutrition programs in Texas, or any other issue that causes concern. Please note: TDA representatives will not be making any presentations or deliver any remarks as part of the events and these sessions are not being broadcast in any way. To participate in a listening session, you do not need to be a contractor or provider in one of the meals programs administered by TDA, but interested parties must be physically present to comment. Anyone wishing to comment may register under any or all of the nutrition programs TDA administers. Click here for detailed information about how to take part.

Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples has challenged Texas mayors to help fight food insecurity in their communities by joining the TDA Mayors Challenge to increase children's access to nutritious meals this summer through one of TDA's summer nutrition programs.

See the press release, "Commissioner Staples Calls on Organizations to Feed Children Healthy Meals During Summer Months."

For details about TDA's Mayors Challenge, click here.

On February 12, 1010, Huntington Meat Packing Inc. expanded its January 2010 recall of beef and veal products. No commodity products are involved in the recall, but school districts and schools may have procured products directly on the commercial market.  Secondary companies and distributors will contact you if you received this product.

School districts and schools may get a call either from a company or a distributor about product they may have received or from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service when they conduct recall effectiveness checks. 

Please refer to the following links for additional details about the recall:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_004_2010_Release/index.asp

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_004_2010_Expanded/index.asp

The Texas Department of Agriculture National School Lunch Program Compliance Unit has released the following  09-10 review status.  This list breaks down when a School Food Authority will be reviewed during the 2009-2010 school year.

Please note: Additional reviews can be added at anytime for reasons such as counting and claiming errors, complaints, or any other reason.

Please click here to see the list. The remainder of the current cycle (years 3-5) is available here.

The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), Food and Nutrition Division has compiled this resource document, Child Nutrition Program Required Records Reminders (Reminder Binder), to assist SFA's in organizing required data to meet program guidelines and prepare for the Coordinated Review Effort (CRE).  Included are key area reminders and examples of forms and information required to be maintained by all SFA's implementing the National School Lunch, Breakfast and Snack programs. Tabs are provided to organize data in a complete, easy to find manner. The reminders will be updated yearly to reflect TDA and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) policy changes and requirements.  Please click here to download the Reminder Binder.

In an effort to encourage young students to eat more fruits and vegetables at school, the Texas Department of Agriculture created a coloring contest in conjunction with Fruit and Vegetable Month in April. The 2009 winners are listed below.

Kindergarten

Luke Abel, Stewart Elementary, Lubbock ISD, Region 1

Kate Lilley, Garner Elementary, Garner ISD, Region 2

Katie Quinlan, Colony Meadows Elementary, Fort Bend ISD, Region 3

Sudiksha Pradhan, Harmony School of Science Austin, Charter School, Region 4

Irving Zamora, West Elementary, Progreso ISD, Region 5

First Grade

Juliette Dickson, Wellington Elementary, Wellington ISD, Region 1

Mason Rust, Gordon ISD, Region 2

Jilberto Ruiz, Isaacs Elementary, Houston ISD, Region 3

Chy-Anne Smith, Jimmy Elrod Elementary, NISD, Region 4

Kayla L. Menchaca, Carl C Waitz Elementary, Mission ISD, Region 5

Second Grade

Regina Anaya, Kelley/Dodson Elementary, Denver City ISD, Region 1

Elizabeth Herrera, Barton Elementary, Irving ISD, Region 2

Sergio Cortez, Clemente Martinez Elementary, Houston ISD, Region 3

Ashley Fuentes, Dr. Lonnie Green Elementary, Sam Felipe Del Rio CISD, Region 4

Angela Garza, Carl C Waitz Elementary, Mission ISD, Region 5

TDA administers federal nutrition programs - NSLP, SBP, SFSP, CACFP and SMP - through contracts with public, private and residential facilities such as schools and day care centers. Over the last several years TDA has become responsible for programs previously administered by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Many of our contractors are operating under their original agreements - sometimes covering more than one program and with more than one agency.

To standardize service, expectations and understanding while consolidating multiple contracts into a single agreement, TDA has developed a standard Permanent Agreement for all contractors participating in the NSLP, SBP, SFSP, CACFP and SMP in Texas. Commodities is the only area of the Food and Nutrition Division's operations not included in this agreement. Contractors that operate any or all of the other special nutrition programs are being asked to complete the new Permanent Agreement.

There are several important points about the Permanent Agreement that contractors should be aware of:

• The deadline for completing and returning the Permanent Agreement to FND is April 10, 2009.
• The Permanent Agreement was sent to contractors operating a special nutrition program as of February 6, 2009. New contractors since then, such as new CACFP sponsors, will be asked to complete the Permanent Agreement at a later date.
• The original Permanent Agreement is printed on green paper. This is the version that must be completed and returned to us. It is not available electronically for contractors to print.
• The Permanent Agreement must be returned to TDA in the self-addressed Square Meals envelope, which was sent to them with the Permanent Agreement.
• Should a completed agreement be received in a field office or an ESC, the agreement should be forwarded to the state office in Austin as soon as possible. The official receipt date is the date the agreement is received at FND.

Please check the Frequently Asked Questions or call TDA at (888) TEX-KIDS or (877) TEX-MEAL if you have any questions not addressed here.

Districts are now allowed to have boy-girl-boy-girl seating arrangements at the same table.  This is not segregation but rather integration.  Seating arrangements such as a table of boys and a separate table of girls is regarded as segregation and is still not allowed.

The Administrator's Reference Manual (ARM) has been updated to reflect this revised interpretation.  If you are currently using the Civil Rights Brochures, please make sure you correct the answer on the boy/girl question.

The Civil Rights video has also been updated.

The Eat Smart. Play Hard.^TM Campaign was launched by USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) in 2000. The Campaign encourages and teaches children, parents, and caregivers to eat healthy and be physically active everyday. Eat Smart. Play Hard.^TM offers resources and tools to convey and reinforce healthy eating and lifestyle behaviors that are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the MyPyramid Food Guidance System.  The Web site includes pages focused on Educators, Parents and Caregivers, and Kids.

The Eat Smart. Play Hard.^TM for Educators site is full of features with updated and new resources, ideas on how to use them, and ready-to-go tools to use in conjunction with Power Panther visits.  Click the following link to access the Educators section of the Web site:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardeducators/

The Eat Smart. Play Hard.^TM for Parents and Caregivers site is full of features with updated and new resources, ideas on how to use them, and ready-to-go tools to help you and your kids eat more healthfully and be more active every day.  Click on the following link to access the Parents and Caregivers section of the Web site:
www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardhealthylifestyle

While you're there, be sure to check out the "Create Healthy, Active Celebrations" guide. It is full of ideas to help you and your family celebrate with festive food and fun games. It also includes tips for planning healthy, active parties, specific theme events with ideas for menus, activities, and decorations, as well as two-dozen recipes so your guests can "Eat Smart" at your celebration.

Click the link below to access this 46-page guide.
www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardhealthylifestyle/QuickandEasy/celebrations.pdf

Kids will enjoy the The Eat Smart. Play Hard.^TM for Kids site, where they can explore a virtual town full of games, songs, activities, recipes, and reading to support them as they eat smarter and play harder. Click on the following link to access the Kids section of the Web site:
www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardkids

The U.S. government revises its Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) every five years, most recently in 2005. Based on that update, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is in the process of developing rules to apply the DGAs to school nutrition programs. Although it will take a few years to complete the process, there is no reason to wait to put the most recent guidelines into action.

In advance of the coming rules change, school nutrition programs should strive for the following seven main improvements in order to achieve the 2005 DGAs:

Food Groups to Encourage

• Whole grains: Schools should increase the amount of whole grain products offered to students, and progress towards the goal of making half of all grains offered and served whole grains. 
• Fruits and vegetables: Schools should increase the availability and service of both fruits and vegetables within the school meal programs. In the National school lunch program, school food authorities should provide meals that offer both fruit and vegetable, regardless of the menu planning approach being used.
• Milk: Schools should offer only low fat (1% milk or less) and fat-free milk in the school meal programs for all children above the age of two.

Nutrients Without Current Regulatory Benchmarks

• Sodium: Schools should begin reducing sodium incrementally, with long-term step-wise plan for meeting the DGAs recommendation.
• Fiber: Schools should plan meals that provide fiber at levels appropriate for each age/grade group that reflect the 2005 DGAs recommendation
• Cholesterol: Schools should plan meals that, on average over a school week, provide less than 100 mg of cholesterol at lunch and less than 75 mg of cholesterol at breakfast for all age/grade groups.
• Trans-fat: Schools should plan meals that minimize trans-fats.

Please visit http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/report/default.htm for details about the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Even the least attentive consumer must have noticed the term "trans fat" lately. In the news, on grocery shelves, in restaurant advertising, and on magazine covers, "trans fat" has taken center stage among nutritional buzzwords. But what does it mean?

Every member of the modern American food chain-providers, selectors, buyers, preparers, eaters-needs to understand how dangerous trans fats can be. The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) presents this article to provide background, suggestions and resources about trans fats.

WHAT is the problem?

Although trans fats occur naturally in some animal products like beef and dairy, synthetic trans fats are causing the public alarm. About 80 percent of the trans fats Americans consume is from sources that do not occur naturally. Synthetic trans fats are formed when hydrogen is added to a liquid vegetable oil to make it solid at room temperature. If an ingredient list includes "partially hydrogenated oil" or "vegetable shortening," it means that food contains synthetic trans fat.

Trans fats are trouble because of what they do to people's cholesterol. There are two kinds of cholesterol: LDL is the "bad," artery-clogging kind. HDL is the "good," LDL-removing kind. It is well known that saturated fat boosts harmful LDL, while unsaturated fat boosts protective HDL. We are just learning that trans fats both raise LDL and lower HDL, dramatically increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

WHO is doing something about it?

The first step was in 2003, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) passed a rule that food manufacturers must list trans fat on their nutrition labels by 2006.

In 2007, the Texas legislature passed a bill requiring TDA to prepare a report on trans fats. The report, due in December 2008, is to "detail all initiatives, proposals, and programs that the department and the United States Department of Agriculture are then currently conducting or planning to conduct and include the department's recommendations for legislative action to assist in reducing trans-fatty acids from school meals." Before the end of the 2007-2008 school year, TDA will be collecting information from Texas nutrition programs about their recent bid awards and any current initiatives to curb the use of trans fats.

WHY did trans fats emerge?

Liquid oils like olive oil and sesame oil have been used in cooking since ancient times. By the end of the 19^th century, less expensive food crops like soybean, corn, and peanut were also becoming popular as food oils. Before the early 20^th century, the only solid shortenings for baking were butter and lard.

In the early 20^th century, scientists developed a way to combine the inexpensiveness of vegetable oil with the usefulness of solid fats: hydrogenation. Vegetable shortening quickly caught on in home and commercial kitchens. It is easy to use in baked goods, lasts longer as a frying medium, and helps products stay fresher longer.

At first the appeal was its low price, but as Americans started to understand the health effects of dietary saturated fat from animal sources in the 1950s, vegetable shortening like margarine also gained ground as a supposedly healthy alternative to butter. Only in the last decade has it become clear how mistaken that belief was.

HOW can we reduce the risk?

The National Academy of Science suggests that "trans fatty acid consumption be as low as possible while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet." The American Heart Association is more specific, recommending that people eat no more than 1% of their daily calories from trans fat. That works out to about one gram of trans fat per 1,000 calories consumed. The FDA makes no recommendation at all, since there is no known safe level of trans fats in the diet.

Fried items like chips and French fries and baked goods like breads and sweets account for more than half of the trans fats in American diets. The most important step toward avoiding trans fats is to read nutrition labels. Those who make food choices for others-parents, caregivers, and meal providers-can take the extra step of insisting that food makers provide healthful alternatives to trans fats.

Visit these Web sites for more information about reducing the risk from trans fats:

Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005--Chapter 6: Fats (USDA)
Talking about Trans Fat: What You Need to Know (USDA)
Trans Fat: A Cholesterol Double Whammy (Mayo Clinic)
Trans Fats (American Heart Association)
Questions and Answers about Trans Fat Nutrition Labeling (FDA)
How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Panel (FDA)
Trans Fats--What Is the Big Deal? (Alexandria City, Virginia, Public Schools)
Heart Disease: Facts and Statistics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Click the link below to access the updated USDA Commodity Fact Sheets. The fact sheets include information such as product descriptions, yields and storage instructions.  In addition, USDA has added valuable food safety guidance and expanded the nutrient data information that is key to planning healthy school meals that support the Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid recommendations.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/schfacts/default.htm

Click the links below to access the files contained on USDA's CD -- SMI Tools for Success for School Food Authorities.

The Road to SMI Success

SMI Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrient Analysis Protocol

Want to figure out how to get more fresh fruits and vegetables into your family's diet? Check out these Web sites to learn more about these foods that are chock-full of natural vitamins and nutrients.

The Farm to School (FtS) Program allows schools to use a portion of their commodity entitlement dollars to purchase fresh produce. The amount of funds spent on fresh produce, most of which is provided by Texas growers, has risen from $115,148 in 2003 to approximately $2 million annually.

Available produce, fresh from the farm, such as seedless watermelons, navel and Valencia oranges, grapefruits, and gala apples are very popular with the food service personnel of participating schools and with students.

Participating schools not only use the program to help with the fight against childhood obesity but to educate students on agriculture products grown in Texas. In addition, FtS helps stimulate the state's agricultural economy.

To explore participation in the Farm to School Program, contact the TDA Food and Nutrition Commodity Distribution Program at 512-475-0046.

One Recipe for Success: Chefs in Schools Series

The Recipe for Success Foundation, a nonprofit operating in select Houston Independent School District elementary schools, is dedicated to combating childhood obesity and encouraging long-term health. It operates through a number of programs designed to alter the way children understand, appreciate and eat their food.

One of their most successful programs uses the time, energy and talent of some of Houston's finest chefs to help children and their parents learn how to cook healthy and delicious meals and snacks. The Chefs in Schools series started in fall 2006 and features monthly classes presented to fourth grade students from Recipe for Success pilot schools. The chefs use a special Culture of Food curriculum and a uniquely designed cooking cart in their classes.

The Chefs in Schools series also offers after-school programs, parent-child cooking classes and field trips to the chefs' own professional kitchens. Some of the chefs involved in the program include Randy Evans of Brennan's of Houston, Charles Clark of Ibiza Food & Wine Bar and Claire Smith of Shade.

The series, just one aspect of the Recipe for Success pilot program, illustrates the foundation's mission to mentor a citywide collaboration to affect change.

For more information about Recipe for Success and the Chefs in School series, go to www.recipe4success.org/.

Sustainable Food Center Helps Bring Local Fare to Austin Schools

Andrew Smiley, farm marketing program manager and farm-to-school project director of Austin's nonprofit Sustainable Food Center, is an enthusiastic spokesperson for the center's Sprouting Healthy Kids program. From the sound of it, he has a lot to be enthusiastic about. The pilot project brings locally grown foods purchased directly from area farmers into school cafeterias and is supported by in-class and after-school educational opportunities.

"We're trying to be very comprehensive, to meet kids wherever they are," said Smiley. "We want to teach them every aspect of the food system, beginning with production all the way up to consumption. The premise is that the more young people know about food and the food system, the easier it is for them to make better food choices."

Sprouting Healthy Kids is working with two Austin schools in this, its first year, but plans to serve a total of six schools by the end of its three-year pilot run. The overarching goal is to get students, especially those with a high risk of child obesity and diabetes, to eat more fruits and vegetables. To meet its goal, the center devised a three-pronged approach that includes after-school nutrition education, in-class lessons and the inclusion of locally grown food in cafeteria meals.

One basic way to educate students about food: have them eat it. That's where the locally grown cafeteria food comes in. The Sustainable Food Center and the Austin Independent School District have been working together to procure fruits and vegetables from local farms to serve to the students. "Barriers do exist," Smiley noted. "As it stands now, federal legislation prohibits school food service agencies from buying from preferred areas. Luckily, there is language in the new farm bill that does away with that restriction, largely because so many local farm-to-school food programs are popping up everywhere." The new farm bill is stalled, though. Until it passes, Smiley and his colleagues at AISD purchase amounts of food that do not require entrance into the formal bidding process. Every bit helps, and Smiley explained that even modest purchases "allow us the opportunity to make some inroads and work out our distribution process."

When kids see locally grown food served seasonally, such as broccoli, sweet potatoes, romaine lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers, no matter the amount, there is real impact. "We focus on fresh foods so the students can see and recognize what has been grown locally," said Smiley. That impact is compounded by the school gardens that are planted at every Sprouting Healthy Kids school. The students grow many of the same things they see coming from local farms. "This gives them a sense of ownership and involvement in the process," Smiley said. "If they're growing broccoli in their garden, they're more likely to try it. If it shows up in the cafeteria, they'll probably try it again."

The gardens serve a second purpose as teaching sites. Smiley works with AISD teachers to develop core curriculum lessons from a food systems perspective. "You can teach almost anything in the garden," Smiley said. For example, "Math teachers will bring their students to the garden and have them measure it to determine its dimensions, its area and volume. Social studies teachers can teach the culture of food on a local and global scale." These lessons work in conjunction with the Sprouting Healthy Kids after-school program, which focuses on nutrition education, cooking, gardening and field trips.

The Sprouting Healthy Kids program has been met with enthusiastic support from principals, district heads and teachers. An evaluation process has been built into the program that will serve as a valuable measure of its success over the next three years. "Every year we are doing beginning- and end-of-year student evaluations to find out their knowledge of food, see how they feel about the program, and also see if eating habits have been changed." For more information, go to www.sustainablefoodcenter.org/SHK_overview.html.

Cost control is an ongoing challenge for food service administrators. Based on a case study of successful Child Nutrition Programs conducted by the National Food Service Management Institute, effective cost control requires attention to detail in five key areas:

Calculating menu costs: Costing menus to determine affordability and monitoring leftovers were standard procedures in the case study schools. Because standardized recipes specify exact amounts of ingredients, managers can accurately cost out recipes and better plan purchasing and storage needs.

Purchasing: Cost-effective procurement procedures are a must, as well as maintaining written procurement plans to curb food costs. Effective purchasing systems include written specifications for products requested, competitive bidding for vendor selection and written instructions to test new products.

Receiving: All CNP administrators in the case study recognized the importance of having well-trained and competent personnel for receiving purchased products. Each required inspection of orders at time of delivery to check for accuracy and condition of delivered products.

Forecasting and Sale Histories: Forecasting and food sale histories, along with plate waste checks, were the basis for planning future menus and food production. New items were added after testing for acceptability.

Training: Administrators recognize that training is an important key to cost containment. Training for continuous improvement was a standard practice. Specific in-service training was provided as needed, according to staff requirements or program changes.

For further information on case study schools, view the report online at www.nfsmi.org/Information/Newsletters/insight10.pdf.

Summer nutrition participation data for the month of July 2006 collected and reported by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) indicates that, compared to the 17 million children who received free and reduced-price lunches during the 2006 school year, only 2.9 million participated in the Summer Nutrition Programs. That July in Texas, only 8 of every 100 children who were eligible for free and reduced-price lunches participated in the Summer Nutrition Programs. One of the most disturbing facts of this report is that, among households with children, 15.6 percent were "food insecure"—a condition that affects more people during the summer months. This means children may have limited access to enough food to fully meet their basic needs.

Summer may mean a vacation from classes, but it should not be a break from nutrition. Children still need to be properly nourished to ensure that when school resumes, they are ready to learn. Not only public schools, but also private schools, camps, government units, and nonprofit organizations, can do their part by helping children stay nutritionally fit during the summer break with meals offered in a summer food program. How can we help? What resources are available?

The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) Food and Nutrition Division encourages you to offer the Traditional Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or the Seamless Summer Program throughout all the summer months.

To help you decide between the two programs, here are some details of both for you to compare:

Traditional Summer Food Service Program
· All children 18 years and younger eat free.
· Permanent agreement requiring annual updates.
· SFSP regulations and requirements are applicable.
· Federal Traditional SFSP reimbursement rates.
· Reimbursement for administrative costs.
· Must attend training.
· Commodities available at .015 cents per child.

Seamless Summer Food Program
· All children 18 years and younger eat free.
· Submit request for participation to TDA.
· Streamlined contract application process by extending National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
  agreement.
· Combines features of the NSLP, School Breakfast Program (SBP), and Traditional SFSP with
  reduced paperwork.
· Federal NSLP reimbursement at the free rate for all meal types served.
· No reimbursement for administrative costs.
· Training not required.
· Commodities available as part of the PAL entitlement through NSLP.