5 easy ways to get community support for healthy school meals – just remember to T.A.S.T.E.!
T. Tell everyone by sharing your news!
Are you testing a new salad dressing? Ordering new produce? Unveiling a new sauce?
Telling everyone is easy with the sample newsletter article in your toolkit.
A. Ask your visiting chef consultant to give the inside scoop on healthy cooking.
Invite students, parents, staffers and community members to hear how chefs work their
magic with your invitations in your toolkit.
S. Share your menu items with a taste testing.
Offer salad dressings, sauces, new breakfast items or fresh fruits and vegetables. Use the
time to update everyone on what’s new in the kitchen and menu and to get help
promoting all the good things going on.
T. Try a ‘super tasters table.’
Set up a table in your cafeteria and invite students to be ‘super tasters’ for the day. In
return for their help, and survey response, offer them some special recognition (See
“Taste Testing Tips” in your toolkit).
E. Enlist students for a contest.
During the week of TCAPs, offer a contest for students who participate in all lunches
(and breakfasts?) and enter their names into a drawing for prizes. Support testing success
by increasing breakfast or lunch consumption during this critical week for schools.
And the best part? T.A.S.T.E. is easy to do. Just visit the LiveWell@School Food Initiative website — your 24/7 virtual support system — for the tools mentioned here, click, customize and you’re done!
