Monday, August 13, 2012

Parental "No" Files - Institutional Food Edition


Today's parental "No" comes from a registered dietitian reader from Peterborough Ontario. One of her 4 kids elected to go to a competitive lacrosse (Canada's national sport) camp this summer.

What was on the menu?

Well for just $40 per week he could have had:
Monday – Macaroni & Cheese, with fruit and vegetables.

Tuesday – Hot dog & chips, with fruit and vegetables.

Wednesday – Grilled Cheese & yogurt with fruit and vegetables.

Thursday – Individual Pepperoni Pizzas, with fruit and vegetables.

Friday – Chicken Nuggets & Fries, with fruit and vegetables.

Rotating Snacks for morning and afternoon breaks consisting of; Rice Krispy Squares, Jell-O, granola bars, yogurt, fresh fruits, freezes, pudding.

Juice, and water available at all breaks and lunch. Pop & milk available at lunch.
You might be thinking, "Hey, this post sure sounds familiar" as I already covered camp lunches a few weeks ago - but this post has a twist.

I'm not sure we can entirely blame the camp. You see my RD reader also sent along a link to Brown's Dining Solutions - the food service provider for the camp. Ironically Brown's brags that their meals,
"are built around promoting nutritious food and healthy lifestyles."
and I bet Brown's isn't alone in selling junk and calling it healthy. And that left me wondering - is there a healthy, mass market, food service provider that this lacrosse camp could have contracted with rather than Brown's? Could it be that there just aren't truly healthy options that would land in Browns' price range?

So while Mom can certainly still just say, "No" and pack a lunch that her kid may feel is a slight when compared with his or her buddy's pepperoni pizza and lunchtime root beer, I also have to wonder whether or not any camp is doing it any better.....and of course if there isn't a truly healthy food service provider option out there what does that say about the environment we're hoping parental "Nos" alone can defeat?