Nutrition News
Hartford Public Schools
Department of Food Services
and Nutrition Education
Vol. VI, Issue I, 1998-99

Universal Meals

 The Department of Food Services and Nutrition Education welcomes the staff and students back to school with an exciting new concept in meal service for children. Our staff has always been committed to providing quality nutritious meals to all students in the Hartford Public Schools. Beginning in September, 1998, our department will be implementing an exciting new universal meals program. This means that any enrolled student in the Hartford Public Schools may eat breakfast and lunch without a ticket or money! All students may participate, without charge, in our meal programs regardless of their economic status. The link between nutrition and learning has been well documented. Children who eat well perform better and are better able to solve problems. The staff of Food Services and Nutrition Education believes that when we feed all children healthy meals, we can impact education, health, and attendance.

Stop and Shop stores have agreed to fund additional vegetable tasting parties during the 1998-99 school year. At this time, the following schools have asked to participate:

Dwight Annex, Milner, M.D. Fox, Barnard Brown, and Naylor- 7th and 8th graders.

We will be participating in the Connecticut Department of Health sponsored Five a Day Poster Contest, beginning on September 13. The contest is for fourth grader=s, and is being run by the fourth grade Art teachers in all schools. The top three posters from each school will be on display in the connector between the Legislative Office Building and the Capitol. Other prizes and recognition will also be given for participants. Best of luck to all our fourth grade nutrition artists!

Food poisoning kills 9,000 Americans a year and makes 30 million more very sick. Eighty percent of food poisoning does not happen in restaurants, it happens in the home. Food today is more likely to carry dangerous bacteria from a global market into our kitchens. Once this bacteria has entered the home, it grows because of poor cleaning techniques. The following tips will help reduce bacteria in the kitchen:

• always wash your hands before and during food preparation
• scrub cutting boards with disinfectants
• disinfect your sink daily with bleach and hot water
• disinfect dish cloths and sponges with bleach and hot water

4 Simple Steps to Fight Bacteria

Clean:         Wash hands and surfaces often

• According to food safety experts, bacteria can spread throughout the kitchen and get on to cutting boards, knives, sponges and counter tops.

• Cross-contamination is how bacteria spreads from one food product to another. This is especially true for raw meat, poultry and seafood. Experts caution to keep these foods and their juices away from ready-to-eat foods.

• Food safety experts agree that foods are properly cooked when they are heated for a long enough time and at a high enough temperature to kill the harmful bacteria that cause foodborne illness.

• Food safety experts advise consumers to refrigerate foods quickly because cold temperatures keep most harmful bacteria from growing and multiplying. So, public health officials recommend setting the refrigerator at 40°F and the freezer unit at 0°F and occasionally checking these temperatures with an appliance thermometer.

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