PORT ANGELES — Following years of outcry from a small group of parents, an “alternative menu” is set for an April debut at the Jefferson Elementary School cafeteria.
Children returning from spring break on April 12 will find a salad bar studded with protein — hard-boiled eggs, garbanzos, kidney beans — and “we’re looking at whole-grain products and more vegetarian options,” said John Koch, the Port Angeles School District’s food service director.
Jefferson students will do some taste-testing of other new, healthful choices in March, and the alternative menu will be based on their feedback, Koch added.
The school will try out the new options for six weeks, and if the foods prove popular, Koch will look at extending that time frame and expanding to other schools.
And next September, change may be coming to the whole district in the form of a made-over food service contract.
Sodexho has long been the provider in Port Angeles schools, but now School Board President Lonnie Linn says he’s ready to consider other bidders as the contract comes up for renewal this summer.
Linn said the School Board is in the market for a food service provider that will offer more fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains to the school menu, and slim down its emphasis on pizza and chicken nuggets.
The School Board is responding to Port Angeles parent and activist Beth Loveridge, who has led a coalition of other parents in calling for more wholesome foods — including produce from local farms — in school cafeterias.
“We need to get [the food service contract] out to bid so we have somebody in place next [school] year,” Linn said, adding that a couple of providers other than Sodexho have already expressed interest. And though the district’s provider itself may not change, he believes the menu should.
“I don’t want my school district to be part of the obesity problem for kids,” Linn said. “I’m pretty optimistic we can make some major progress.”
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.