Vegan Korean meatballs.
It sounds like a menu offering at a cutting edge restaurant.
Would it surprise you to know it’s coming from a “dining outlet” that generations ago helped make Sloppy Joes a staple of American cuisine?
The dining outlet is the Nutrition Education Department of the Manteca Unified School District.
It is arguably the biggest food influencer in Manteca, Lathrop, and Weston Ranch leaving the likes of local outlets like Chick-Fil-A and McDonald’s in the dust by serving 14,000 lunches and 12,300 breakfasts in any given day when the kitchen is open.
Korean meatballs, veggie style, aren’t yet on the menu.
They are now going through the taste test as have items before them with the ultimate thumbs up or thumbs down given by modern-day “Mikeys” of Quaker Oats fame and older high school students as well.
The Korean meatballs are representative of the reason why Gov. Gavin Newsom signing Assembly Bill 1264 earlier this month mandating the phasing out of ultra-processed foods from school cafeteria offerings by July 1, 2035 isn’t causing panic.
It’s because Manteca Unified years ago started down a path that viewed food services not as simply feeding children but as a way to fuel their learning, support their health, and “ensuring they show up ready it engage in the classroom.”
That means treating food services as part of the education process.
The tools they use to do that includes things such as “farmers markets” at schools.
Nutritional services staff uses the occasions to interact with students to share information on how food is grown as well as nutrition.
Not only do they receive informational handouts as well, but they may sample and take home certain fruits and vegetables for the first time.
“It is an education department,” noted Manteca Unified Assistant Superintendent Victoria Brunn.
Headed up by Director Tracee Franks, Nutrition Education takes its role of instilling lifelong nutrition lessons to heart, literally and figuratively.
The department over the years has been working diligently at devising healthier meals while zeroing in on taste at the same time.
Healthy food options such as the Korean meatballs need to pass the “Mickey test” to make sure they don’t end up in orange food waste carts.
Franks noted many new state and federal laws and regulations being adopted regarding school food have either been tackled or dovetail into ongoing efforts of the Manteca Unified School District..
Do not misunderstand.
The state has yet to identify exactly what food are ultra processed.
That said, Franks said it is likely a path that the district is already on or exploring which means whatever adjustments may be needed to comply won’t be jarring.
As far as the language in Assembly Bill 1264, the “meat” of the legislation defines ultra processed as any food or beverage containing one or more specified functional ingredients and either: (1) provides “high amounts” of saturated fat, sodium, or added sugars or (2) contains a nonnutritive sweetener or other covered substance.
*Functional ingredients. The bill identifies the following functional ingredients: coloring materials and related adjuncts; emulsifiers and emulsifier salts; flavoring agents and adjuvants; flavor enhancers and nonnutritive sweeteners; propellants, aerating agents, and gases; stabilizers and thickeners; and surface-active agents.
*High amounts. The bill establishes the following thresholds for “high amounts” of 10 percent or greater of total energy from saturated fat , a ratio of milligrams of sodium to calories that is equal, or greater than 1 and 1, or 10 percent or greater of total energy from added sugars.
*Nonnutritive sweeteners. The bill incorporates nonnutritive sweeteners defined in the code of federal regulations or any of the following substances: D-sorbitol, erythritol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, sucralose, isomalt, lactitol, Luo Han fruit concentrate, maltitol, steviol glycosides, thaumatin, and xylitol.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
