Today’s Guest Post is from Jill Robbins, founder of HomeFree Treats.  With the new school food regulations now in place, and questions coming in daily, we were happy to share Jill’s perspective and advice, both as a mom and a manufacturer.

As described in a recent Whole Grains Council blog, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) recently released a memo of new requirements for increased whole grains in schools. Generally speaking, the guidelines now require that at least half of all grains served be “whole grain rich;” that these foods can be calculated and credited in increments of one quarter of a grain; and that a serving is the amount of whole grain rich food that contains sixteen grams of grain. Two whole grain rich servings per week can be from desserts.

I think of these requirements as the doorway not only to improved nutrition for our children (though they certainly are that) but also as the doorway to a terrific opportunity to make our school lunch programs more inclusive.

It is no coincidence that I am writing these words during Allergy Awareness Week and Celiac Awareness Month. In addition to the approximately 1 in 20 Americans now avoiding gluten, 1 in 13 American children, including my son, now have food allergies. Until a few months ago, my son could not have pizza at school because of eggs in the crust. I can’t tell you how excited he was when he recently outgrew his egg allergy and was able to buy pizza at lunch with everybody else!
 

Most food allergic reactions are to 8 foods: peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, dairy, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish. A trace of an allergen can cause a reaction, and the reaction can be life threatening. Research shows clinically significant cross-contamination in foods manufactured in shared facilities with allergens (e.g. 6.5% cross-contamination in shared facilities with peanuts). Therefore it is clearly advisable to try to serve products that not only do not contain these allergens, but are also made in dedicated nut/peanut free facilities. Schools can’t make every food fine for every person, but it is certainly worth considering special dietary needs and the psychological importance of inclusion when our kids’ schools make purchasing decisions.

My wish, as a mom, is that as food service directors scramble to re-source basics like pizza, noodles, bread, and cookies to meet the new whole grain requirements, they also take advantage of the opportunity to consider the emotional experiences of kids like mine. How about selecting an egg-free whole grain pizza dough? What about pasta made of whole grain rice, corn, or quinoa instead of wheat? And for dessert, which is often the most desired, most partaken, and most social part of the meal, why not a healthy, allergen-free cookie?

A mother and clinical psychologist, Jill Robbins turned to baking when her son was diagnosed with food allergies fourteen years ago. Her belief in the psychological importance of inclusion for kids led her to found HomeFree, LLC, where she focuses on creating a solution so that children and adults with allergies and other special dietary needs can participate fully in school and social events when treats are served. Learn more about HomeFree at www.homefreetreats.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/homefreetreats.