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Contact Information: The goal of the pilot is to change students’ purchasing behavior of snack foods—both in school and out. The healthy vending machines will include snack items that meet the draft nutritional guidelines recommended by the New Hampshire Healthy Schools Coalition’s Nutrition Subcommittee. The snack foods that are available through the healthy vending machines can also be purchased at local convenience stores. Cabot’s yogurt was the only yogurt to meet strict criteria limits on total sugar and carbohydrates. “There is a lot of focus right now on increasing healthy food options for children, and school vending machines are a great first step,” said Suzanne Eastwood, a registered dietician and health specialist with Cabot. “The picture becomes more complete when the school’s a la carte menu, store and fundraising efforts all focus on healthier options for students.” The New Hampshire Healthy Schools Coalition, a statewide organization of educators and health professionals addressing childhood obesity, has partnered with the schools to manage the healthy vending pilot program. Eastern Vend Source, Inc., of Hudson NH is installing and supplying the vending machines at a reduced cost. Products from Cabot Creamery, The New Hampshire Farm to School Program, and Stonyfield Farm, among others, will be offered in the machines. “Healthy vending is gaining momentum in New England,” said Evelyn Hart, nutrition specialist with the New England Dairy and Food Council. “From New Hampshire’s pilot program to pending legislation in Massachusetts that would require healthy vending options in schools, every state is looking into healthier food options for students.” “The dairy health message is particularly important for teens and pre-teens,” said Roberta MacDonald, senior vice president of marketing at Cabot. “In addition to the epidemic of childhood obesity, America is in a calcium crisis. Children’s bones are like a bank account where they can deposit and save calcium to help them avoid osteoporosis and other problems later in life, yet 75% of children do not get enough calcium in their diet.” The healthy vending pilot program is just one aspect of Cabot’s efforts to educate and engage children in making healthy food choices. Cabot’s Calcium Crisis Challenge (www.calciumchallenge.com) invites teens to creatively design ways to inform their peers about the importance of calcium nutrition. The Challenge was created in response to statistics showing that 9 out of 10 girls, and 7 out of 10 boys, do not get enough calcium in their diets. Teens and pre-teens in the Boston, MA area will be participating in the Cabot Calcium Crisis this school year. A culminating Big Bones Bash celebration will be held at the Children’s Museum on April 9, 2005. Cabot Creamery Cooperative has been in continuous operation in Vermont since 1919 and makes a full line of cheeses, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese and butter. Best known as makers of “The World’s Best Cheddar,” Cabot is owned by the dairy farm families of Agri-Mark, the Northeast’s premier dairy cooperative. For additional information on Cabot Creamery, visit www.cabotcheese.com. Printer-friendly version |
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