Panko-crusted Cod Loin and Apple-Gouda Pasta?
A Food Revolution Comes to Campus Preschool

Ioana Patringenaru | Dec.13, 2010

A student takes a closer look at his spinach salad at the Early Childhood Education Center.

Roast beef with wild mushroom sauce; salmon Nicoise salad; apple-gouda chicken pasta; herbed panko-crusted cod loin with mixed vegetables. It sounds like a menu from an upscale downtown eatery. But it’s the new menu for children ages 1 to 6 at UC San Diego’s Early Childhood Education Center.

Jamie Oliver isn’t the only one bringing his food revolution to America’s school cafeterias. UCSD’s child care center and preschool is addressing the issue of school food head-on too. ECEC Director Kathryn Owen said the new menu reflect parents’ requests for more fresh food and more variety. It’s also right in line with first lady Michelle Obama’s campaign to end childhood obesity in the United States, Owen pointed out.

With his wife at his side, President Obama today signed a bill that requires public schools across America to provide healthier lunches to students, with more fresh fruits and vegetables. ECEC's new menu might be what the future looks like for the nation's public schools.

The old menu featured plenty of vegetables and whole grain breads, but it was centered around sandwiches at lunch and cereal at breakfast. Many of the fruits served came out of a can. Children also ate the occasional chicken nuggets and mac and cheese.

The new menu features dishes cooked from scratch, organic milk, and organic ingredients as available, as well as fruit and vegetables purchased from local growers. It also offers beef and fish. And there’s no corn syrup in any of the dishes.  To top it all off, the new menu is cheaper too, said Owen.

But are the children eating these new, exotic dishes? A quick poll of a classroom full of preschoolers and kindergarten pupils revealed that anything that includes peas as an ingredient was a hit --  as were fresh apples.

That Tuesday, peas were on the menu for lunch, along with a spinach-and-cranberry salad and coconut curry with brown rice. One of the preschoolers held up a spinach leaf. “I love it,” he said. “One time, I ate a whole bowl of salad.” Meanwhile, some of the other children appeared unsure. “Do you want to try this?” asked their teacher, Regina Fortune-Grady. “It’s got a vinaigrette.”

Two girls compare pea-eating methods.

Most children, however, heartily ate their peas. One boy ate them with his fingers. A little girl put one pea on each tine of her fork. The curry sparked a discussion between kindergarten teacher Jennifer Fernandez and the children eating at her table. Fernandez explained many Asian countries serve up a version of the dish. One boy wondered if it’s a dish that can be found in Russia.

Half-way into their lunch break, some children asked for seconds. “Oh yes, I love it,” said one boy when asked how he enjoyed his meal. A few weren’t sold though. “I wish we had the old menu,” one boy said. Asked why, he replied: “It had chicken nuggets.”

That’s precisely the kind of food Owen and her staff are trying to root out. The new dishes gave teachers an opportunity to talk to children about healthy food and exercise, said Fortune-Grady. She and colleagues have noticed that children are looking forward to lunch more, said Owen.

Students are adapting, some more slowly than others, parents said. Marlayna Christensen, a staff member at the Geisel Library, said her son, Ammon, liked the old menu, but has been willing to try a “no thank you” scoop of the new dishes every day. One day, he came home and told his mother: “Mom. I have great news. I love carrots!” Christensen said: “Great, because we’re having carrots for dinner.” Ammon replied: “Oh, I only like them at school.” Later, Ammon decided he liked carrots at home too.

Ammon Christensen tries some new foods.

Also, vegetarian students and students with various allergies are better served under the new program, said Owen. They get their own, individually labeled meals. The kitchen also makes sure these special meals look nearly identical to what other students are having, even though the ingredients are different, said Owen. Special ingredients include gluten-free crackers and pasta, gluten-free, dairy-free, corn-free and soy-free bread, as well as rice milk and soy milk.

All menus follow nutritional guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the California Adult Child Food Program.

“We want to make sure our children have healthy diets,” Owen said.

A sample week of ECEC menus: