FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Seattle and Highline public schools partner with PCC Natural Markets to teach benefits of eating 5 a day
Joint effort involves students in making school lunch choices
Seattle, WA, September 15, 2006 — Seattle and Highline Public Schools Nutrition Services programs, and PCC Natural Markets (PCC), are joining forces this fall to encourage kids to add more fruits and vegetables to their diets.
This pilot program, starting on September 18 and launched to coincide with National 5 a Day Month, will introduce students in grades K through 5 at nine public schools, to a variety of produce items, some of which they may have never seen or tasted before. Before sampling the fruits and vegetables, teachers and PCC staff will discuss the benefits of healthy eating and explain why it's important for kids to vote on the items they sample.
The winning fruits and vegetables will be offered during school lunches in November. The taste tests will be replicated in additional elementary schools by Seattle and Highline district staff, and will guide lunch offerings in those schools in November, as well.
Kirsten Frandsen, Nutrition Education Coordinator who works with both districts under the STEPS to Health King County program, states "Both Highline and Seattle School Districts are concerned about the rising rates of childhood obesity and its effect on student health. District wide efforts are underway in both districts to educate students in making healthy food choices that will last a lifetime. Partnering with community organizations to expand nutrition education capacity while making effective use of our resources is a top goal."
PCC's reputation as a trusted source of fresh, local produce, and as an advocate for preserving local farmland, makes its involvement in this effort a natural fit. PCC Natural Markets is donating food and staff for the pilot, and considers this partnership an extension of the company's Kid Picks program started in March 2004.
Kid Picks is a taste-testing program that invites kids to judge natural food products sold by PCC, voting with a simple "Like" or "Don't like." Items "approved" by two-thirds of the judges are flagged as "kid-tested and approved" in PCC's eight locations, and listed on the PCC Web site. Parents look for "Kid Picks'" products, knowing that it's highly probable their children will like them, too.
Since the Kid Picks program began, more than 5,000 kid judges have voted on more than 1,130 products; about 57 percent of the products become "Kid Picks."
"It has been very rewarding to see even picky eaters change their minds about foods they think they won't like, after taking part in a Kid Picks event," said Sara Walsh, manager of the Kid Picks program. "We're delighted to bring a form of Kid Picks into our public schools, and to take part in helping kids feel empowered to make decisions that positively influence their health."
Elementary schools in pilot program:
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Seattle: Fairmount Park Gatewood High Point Orca at Columbia Dearborn Park Lafayette |
Highline: Shorewood White Center Heights Mount View |
About National 5 a day Month: Visit www.5aday.org