What if I were to tell you that some American children are eating salmon and bison in their cafeterias? Some trays are filled with poi or blue corn. No, these aren’t the private schools of the extremely wealthy. These are schools that have a primarily Native American population. Jenny Montague from the USDA Food and Nutrition Services and Jo Dawson, State Director of the Alaska Child Nutrition Program had insight into the menus of school districts across the country that have recently introduced the use of “traditional foods.”
First and foremost, what are “traditional foods”? Foods that traditionally have been prepared and consumed by an Indian tribe fall into this category. This consists of venison, amaranth, barley, bison, various types of seafood, and even seal and whale oils
. Montague set out to discuss and test the acceptability of traditional foods in schools in Montana, Alaska, Hawaii, and North Carolina. She feels that it is crucial to incorporate traditional foods into the menus of certain school districts in order to “learn about [cultures] through food.” Some techniques that she reported schools practicing were using traditional ingredients and recipes, growing traditional foods and using traditional languages, and substituting meal components with traditional equivalents. In Cherokee County School District in North Carolina, students were taste testing traditional foods, such as trout cake, growing traditional foods in their school garden, and using traditional names on their menus. For example, the August word of the month was shvng-ta, or apple. They found that the acceptability of these foods and of learning about this culture was improved through these practices.
Alaska’s push for “traditionalizing” the school menu was by far the most interesting to me. Alaskan schools are able to accept donated foods that fit the ‘traditional” parameter. In one district, a “Sockeye Salmon Donation Day” resulted in the procurement of 12,000 pounds of salmon that
were then flash-frozen to be served once a week in the schools and has since become a community tradition. The largest discovery of these programs were an analysis of the barriers to introducing the “traditional foods” elsewhere. Researchers found that their largest barrier was supply, which stemmed from a lack of knowledge of the donation allowances. In other words, people just didn’t know that they could donate meat and other foods to the schools. Once that issue is remedied, supply is expected to increase.
Traditional native foods are now being celebrated and found culturally significant by overarching organizations. Those who work for county and state schools systems may want to take another look at their menus before bidding to see if cultural foods could be added. The incorporation of these traditional foods into the menus of schools could spur more interest in these cultures and how to properly preserve their customs and way of life. This could potentially reduce cost and increase the efficiency of the food service system. By using locally grown and harvested foods, we are supplying our children with wholesome and educational habits to use in their futures.
It is so interesting to see how schools are engaging students in their school lunch program. Whether it’s recipe competitions that get the students cooking to hiring chefs and having school-wide taste tests–it’s absolutely awesome. I love that the community became involved in the Alaska county schools (especially since salmon is so nutritious). Community engagement sets an example for children that social responsibility should be a priority when they get older, as well. A great example of this in GA is the farm to school program. I learned this summer that Georgia has thousands of farms across the state. Georgia Organics developed a Farm to School Alliance that serves as a resource to connect schools with local farms. These foods can create good nutrition, an opportunity for lessons in the cafeteria and the classroom, and promote healthy habits from a young age. Great article, Kelli!
It is so encouraging to see more and more nutrition programs like this one taking place in schools. Starting children at an early age eating healthy and learning more about traditional foods can really influence their way of living in a positive way. It seems that for a while there was a perception that kids are just not willing to eat healthy foods, but programs like this show that is not necessarily true. By implementing foods that are apart of a child’s culture, such as through having a school garden, children can interact and have hands-on experience with what they are eating. I know that Whole Foods has a foundation that supports school gardening, which I have always thought was an awesome idea that allows kids to be in an interactive setting and learn about growing their own food. It motivates them to eat the foods they grow while also being in a fun learning environment.
I would be interested to see what types of parameters programs such as these place on which traditional foods deserve incorporation into the program. Many of the traditional Native American foods discussed here are excellent additions to lunch programs because they add both cultural and nutritional value, such as the salmon and barley products. What types of barriers would arise if this program was adapted for a different culture, such as Hispanic populations? Many of the traditional, let’s say Mexican, foods are not as nutritionally valuable as those of Native Americans, as high sodium and fat contents are more prevalent in Hispanic foods. Possibly emphasizing the use of more natural and less processed traditional foods for this population would allow such a program to be adapted just as well? I think the concept of incorporating traditional cultural foods is incredibly important, especially for children of a younger age. Learning healthy eating habits is extremely important as well, and a program that could combine the two lessons would be invaluable additions to school lunch programs. I think the two concepts could feed off each other to promote a healthy environment in which children can learn to form good habits while also sticking to their heritage and roots. Interesting article!