Great Trays
Healthy school meals for Minnesota kids Annual Report July 2012 Our beginnings Our accomplishments Progress and possibili es in school nutri on Our legacy Great Trays life beyond funding Our hopes If we could make a wish... Office of Statewide Health Improvement Ini a ves 85 East Seventh Place, Suite 220, PO Box 64882 St. Paul, MN 55164‐0882 651‐201‐5446 Our beginnings What is a Great Tray? Our project began with a vision. A great tray has a meal with colorful vegetables and hearty whole grains that is low in sodium and saturated fat and free of trans fat. But a great tray is also prepared by highly‐
trained staff in a well‐equipped kitchen, and served with a smile. The system purchases foods locally when possible and op mizes nutri on without breaking the bank. In short, every part of the school nutri on system is pulling in the same direc on: providing great food to kids. Minnesota’s Great Trays Partnership was formed in 2010 with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Preven on. During the two‐year grant, Great Trays sought to provide training for school nutri on leaders, to promote cost savings to allow schools to buy healthy foods, to improve access to healthy foods, and to support schools in addressing barriers to serving healthy meals. Read on to learn more about what we’ve accomplished by working together and what lies ahead.
The Great Trays Partnership Minnesota Department of Agriculture | Minnesota Department of Educa on | Minnesota Department of Health Minnesota Department of Human Services | Minnesota School Food Buying Group | Minnesota School Nutri on Associa on | University of Minnesota Extension | University of Minnesota School of Public Health The importance of partnership Our partnership is an extraordinary collabora on of eight state‐level organiza ons that grew to appreciate the unique skills and passion each group brought to growing healthy children. Early on we realized a strong successful partnership would require all of us staying focused on our shared goals. With our partners we developed eight guiding principles to support our work. These principles provided a frame to explore our differences and work together to accomplish our goals. In the beginning, things were messy and some of our messaging missed its mark. Rather than hide from these challenges, we embraced them and learned to listen and respond to each other, focus on our shared goals, be and stay on the same page, and pay a en on to other stakeholders who care deeply about healthy children. Our guiding principles helped us get there. As a result, partners have commi ed to sustaining the work our collec ve efforts allowed us to establish. 2 Our partnership provided the infrastructure and capacity to support healthy school meals in Minnesota and can serve as a collabora on model for other states seeking to do the same. “Great Trays has benefiƩed many MSNA members and
introduced schools to us… There are strong benefits to
networking and collaboraƟon… Great Trays helped make
more of those connecƟons.”
Melissa Anderson, MSNA NutriƟon Chair
Great Trays Guiding Principles Shared mission Customer focused Use posi ve language Inclusive of diverse perspec ves Respec ul Teach and allow for risk‐taking and crea vity Incorporate fun, ac ve learning approaches Remain flexible to new approaches Our accomplishments School nutri on professionals had access to skills‐based training Schools received me‐saving equipment Great Trays workshops were offered in 20 loca ons throughout the state and reached 78 percent of independent school districts with self‐operated lunch programs. More than 500 food service professionals Great Trays awarded 163 equipment grants to schools that a ended both of the workshops. According to equipment recipients, the top benefits of receiving the equipment were being able to start ge ng ready for the new USDA rule, decreasing the me needed to prepare lunch, being able to offer new types of fruits and vegetables, and being able to offer more op ons of fruits and vegetables to choose from. Minnesotans are more aware of the vital role of Farm to School programs One of the unan cipated outcomes of Great Trays was the produc on of the 30 minute “Growing Our Future: Farm to School” documentary. It aims to spark discussions among policy makers at the local, state and na onal levels. It comes at an important me in U.S. history as the na on faces the alarming rates of childhood obesity and rising health care costs. It premiered in April 2012 and has been screened in 25 communi es by over 1000 people in Minnesota. Informa on about the documentary is available at h p://www.extension.umn.edu/farm‐to‐school/
documentary/ a ended one of the workshops. Those who a ended the workshops reported feeling be er prepared to tackle the many tasks that lie ahead, including planning healthy menus, managing the costs of healthy foods, iden fying healthier products from vendors, training staff and marke ng their lunch programs. Quotes from a endees: “Kids noƟced
the change when we
ran out of local
produce; they like it
much beƩer!”
—A Minnesota Food
Service Director
“[The training] opened the door to realize that
you are not alone.”
“You went home feeling like you could
make the changes.”
“There was so much informaƟon. I go through it
frequently and am always finding new things.”
3 Our accomplishments Healthier foods are more accessible Minnesota School Food Buying Group (MSFBG) par cipants are enjoying savings on even more healthy foods. Seventy‐
five new and revised product specifica ons were developed, which resulted in ghter control on sodium and saturated fat. And new whole grain‐rich products and fruits and vegetables were added to the product list. Of the 212 products that were awarded bids in 2011‐12, 63 received the IN (improved nutri on) designa on, meaning they met at least two nutri on standards. At the end of the two year project, 51 percent of the food items on the MSFBG product list met at least two nutri on public school students a ended a school that par cipated in MSFBG; by follow‐up, this number rose to 76 percent . Though par cipa on in the buying group increased, only half of workshop a endees who were eligible took advantage of the discount on the MSFBG annual fee. Our survey data give some clues about why this might be; there is considerable confusion about how the buying group works and who benefits from it. There is s ll great opportunity for schools to benefit from the cost savings on nutri ous foods through par cipa on in MSFBG. Addi onal work is needed to help schools understand the poten al value of coopera ve buying through a group like MSFBG. School meals are healthier Many school districts reported making changes to their menus, whether or not they a ended a Great Trays workshop. Menu data and food service director survey data showed schools moving in the right direc on in all categories, including trans fat, saturated fat, sodium, whole grains, and colorful vegetables (though not all changes were sta s cally significant). But Great Trays a endees reported making MORE changes in a few key areas, including reducing sodium, serving legumes, preparing simple, made‐from‐scratch menu items, and arranging the serving line to promote healthy choices. standards compared to 37 percent at its start. And 42 percent of the servings purchased met at least two nutri on standards at project end, compared with 36 percent at the start. More schools have access to cost savings When Great Trays began, 85 districts par cipated in MSFBG. Thirty‐five new districts signed up for MSFBG during the project period, allowing them access to cost savings that could poten ally offset some of the increased costs associated with implemen ng the new USDA requirements. At baseline, 68 percent of Minnesota’s 4 Our legacy Although the Great Trays ini al funding will end on August 3, 2012, the work will live on in many ways. Here are just a few: 
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The Great Trays Training Coali on (a partnership of the Minnesota Department of Educa on, Minnesota School Nutri on Associa on, University of Minnesota Extension and MDH) was formed to provide on‐
going coordina on and support improvement around professional development for school nutri on professionals. Great Trays workshop content has been integrated into a 10‐
hour core nutri on course for MSNA members, called “Nutri on Building Blocks for Great Trays.” Great Trays workshop content has been integrated into online training courses via University of Minnesota Extension that will be available to anyone at no charge. The online courses should be available in August. 
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Minnesota Department of Educa on as a regular communica on tool with Minnesota Schools. 
Great Trays tools and products will con nue to be available online through Extension’s website. And the Great Trays menu planning spreadsheets will be disseminated by the School Nutri on Associa on free of charge. MSFBG con nues to ghten product specifica ons and develop new communica on and promo on tools for MSFBG stakeholders. 
Hands‐on trainings on sodium, whole grains and fruits and vegetables that were developed by Extension will con nue to be available to Minnesota school districts on a fee basis. The Public Health Law Center (PHLC) has developed tools to raise awareness of regula ons and policies that impact school food purchasing. These tools will soon be available at the PHLC website. 
Minnesota’s school nutri on professionals are poised to meet the new USDA nutri on standards— and they have a head start thanks to the tools and support provided by Great Trays. The innova ve Great Trays Tickler E‐newsle er is being used by the In their words “We have received so many compliments this year on the great tas ng food… And a lot of it has to do with the items available through MSFBG! The all‐beef franks, chicken nuggets, spaghe sauce, corn dogs, juice and yogurt all are different products than we have used in the past and each one has had its share of ‘this is way be er than last year’ from kids and staff. We have been able to offer…bread items that have added 'freshness' to our menu. And the price! We will save $1,000 this year just in ketchup alone with the MSFBG bid.” —Rhonda Amundson, Thief River Falls Schools
“A er four of us a ended the Great Trays trainings, we don’t ques on the ‘why’ anymore. We don’t spend me having those nega ve conversa ons. We spend more me talking about how we will achieve it and encouraging other staff that these changes can be done.” —Pat Osterberg, Minnewaska
Schools 5 Our hopes Goethe is quoted as saying, “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” In that spirit, Great Trays has tried to transcend the collec on of informa on to applica on and ac on. However, our to‐do list was long and there is more work to do. Here are just a few of the lessons shared by food service directors about future needs of the school nutri on workforce. If we could make a wish, here’s what we would ask for. If we could make a wish Simpler access to USDA Foods USDA has made many posi ve changes to USDA foods, vegetables are low in sodium, reduced fat— low sodium cheese is available to schools, as are whole muscle chicken legs. Yet many districts and states have inconsistent access to the full list of foods available through USDA foods. All districts and states should have easy and mely access to nutri ous USDA foods. Support for smaller school districts One thing that we heard consistently from food service directors in Greater Minnesota is that many of the available resources don’t really apply to smaller rural school districts. Addi onal research is needed to learn more about the needs of smaller schools so that they can receive the support they need. More of what works Front‐line training Hands‐on training for front‐line kitchen staff is key if schools are to be ready to implement the new USDA school meal requirements. The most effec ve trainers have on‐the‐ground experience. Redesigned kitchens Inadequate kitchen facili es, equipment and storage space limit how much school food professionals are able to do. Kitchens designed with today’s needs in mind will make it more possible for schools to succeed. Regional aggrega on Many directors talked about the challenges of finding local food producers, having consistent access to locally grown foods and ge ng foods in a useable, affordable form. Regional food hubs would go a long way to address these challenges and strengthen the local economy. The experience of some of the most successful food service directors backs up the Great Trays messages. Food service directors need ongoing support in marke ng their programs, winning support from administrators, balancing complex procurement prac ces, encouraging students to try new foods and more. Addi onal opportuni es for peer to peer learning Food service directors told us that their peers were a vital resource for learning. As future programs are designed, we hope they can foster even more opportuni es for networking among school food service professionals. Support for Farm to School Everyone needs to pull together to help local economies thrive, farmers grow their business and ge ng kids access to healthy food. We need regional food hubs, schools with salad bars and school gardens, farmers making local connec ons and everyone realizing the connec on between the food system and health. Visit us online www.health.state.mn.us/schools/grea rays www.extension.umn.edu/health/great‐trays/ Printed on recycled paper. This publication was supported by a cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (3U58DP001974‐01S4). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the CDC, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the federal government. July 2012