ConAgra Foods Makes Whole Grains a Whole Lot More Appealing for School Lunch
March 07 2011 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
As the U.S. Department of Agriculture proposes improved
nutrition standards for school meals, ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE:
CAG) one of North America’s leading food makers, continues to focus
on enhancing the nutritional value of its school foodservice
products, such as The Max® pizza and pancakes, by increasing whole
grains and fiber and decreasing fat and sodium while also
maintaining the taste students love.
The proposed nutrition standards for the National School Lunch
and School Breakfast Program call for incrementally increasing the
amount of whole grains in meals, eventually requiring at least half
of the grains offered to be whole grains. Currently, less than five
percent of Americans consume the daily recommended minimum of about
three, 1-ounce servings of whole grains(1) and most school-age
children eat less than one serving a day(2).
“With 32 million children eating school meals each day, serving
whole grain versions of favorite foods such as pizza, pancakes and
pasta is a simple way to significantly increase whole grain
consumption,” said Elizabeth Arndt, Ph.D., director of Research and
Development, ConAgra Foods. “For instance, one slice of The Max
whole grain pizza already meets the proposed USDA standards for
whole grains by delivering a full serving of whole grains in a 51
percent whole grain crust, potentially doubling the current daily
whole grain intake for children.”
Of course, children aren’t likely to value nutrition over taste
so acceptability can be an issue. The Institute of Medicine’s
report, School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children,
recognizes that school menus based on nutrition science alone don’t
necessarily appeal to students nor are the menu selections always
realistic or economical.
“Pizza is the most popular entrée item served at school lunch(3)
so it’s the ideal food to increase children’s whole grain
consumption in a way that’s familiar and readily accepted,” said
Chris Meinerding, director of Marketing for ConAgra Foodservice and
incoming board member for the School Nutrition Association.
In 2005, ConAgra Foods became the first major food company to
offer whole grain pizza for schools with the introduction of The
Max pizza made with 51 percent whole grain Ultragrain® flour.
ConAgra Foods has seen rising demand for whole grain pizza and
currently has more than 30 whole grain pizza and handheld items and
two varieties of whole grain pancakes available at schools across
the country. These foods all carry the Whole Grain Council’s Whole
Grain Stamp and deliver between three and five grams of fiber per
serving, added protein, and less sodium and fat.
Another proven way to incorporate whole grains into school menus
is with ConAgra Foods’ 51 percent whole wheat Ultragrain PastaTM.
Introduced last September, the Ultragrain Pasta line includes
penne, macaroni, rotini, orzo, lasagne and spaghetti. The mild
flavor, smooth texture and lighter color make it easy to
incorporate the benefits of whole grains into a variety of recipes.
Ultragrain is ConAgra Foods’ revolutionary whole wheat flour with
the taste, texture and appearance of white flour.
ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG), is one of North America’s
leading food companies, with brands in 97 percent of America’s
households. Consumers find Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters,
Hebrew National, Hunt’s, Marie Callender’s, Orville Redenbacher’s,
PAM, Peter Pan, Reddi-wip, Slim Jim, Snack Pack and many other
ConAgra Foods brands in grocery, convenience, mass merchandise and
club stores. ConAgra Foods also has a strong business-to-business
presence, supplying frozen potato and sweet potato products as well
as other vegetable, spice and grain products to a variety of
well-known restaurants, foodservice operators and commercial
customers. For more information, please visit us at
www.conagrafoods.com.
(1) United States Department of Agriculture, 2010 Dietary
Guidelines for Americans.
(2) Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Feb. 2010.
(3) School Nutrition Association Back to School Trends report,
2008.
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