Encouraging Kids to Make Healthier Food Choices in School Lunchrooms using Menu Boards

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Aug. 7, 2014 - PRLog -- Epicure Digital, a leader in MyPlate signage solutions for K12 schools presents it’s line of creative and effective signage solutions for K12 schools to help opening the coming new school year with a new healthier look of food served in school campuses, to Encourage kid to make healthier food choices in school lunchrooms and increase meal participation.

The novelty of the new Epicure Menu Board Signage solution are creative and effective nutritional labeling signage options to update daily changes on menu boards in school cafeterias momentarily and food offered in schools – in less than one minute – making sure the school nutrition services will be provided with options to keep up updating their menus daily, taking in consideration their limited resources to spend time on updating their menus daily.

eXtension , an interactive learning environment delivering research-based information emerging from America's land-grant university system, has just published : 3 Ways to Encourage Kids to Make Healthier Food Choices in School Lunchrooms

Encouraging kids to select and enjoy healthy foods doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Choose one option from each of the following principles to create a customized, effective, low-cost or no-cost makeover for your lunchroom developed by the 'Smarter Lunchroom Movement' (http://smarterlunchrooms.org/) ( a Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Program , funded by the USDA ERS/FNS).  Encouraging schools to use creative and effective menu boards whenever possible is repeatedly mentioned in these principles.

A copy of Epicure's product and price sheet as well as an order form can be found at:

http://www.myplatemenuboards.com/myplate-dry-erase-boards.html

A new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows 57% of U.S. adults over 18 use menu labeling information like calorie counts to make their orders. www.time.com/2973442/nearly-60-of-people-use-nutrition-info-on-menus/

The Federal legislation that requires larger food service outlets (restaurants and more) to publish nutritional information is working and has a significant impact on customer, and present a challenge for K12 food services to get similar results by providing nutritional labeling solution in schools.

School food services have been required per the USDA directives to identify their food items in front of service lines, with the identification of MyPlate food groups being the main way to identify food items in school cafeterias.

USDA has a clear and simple directive to Schools: “Schools must identify, near or at the beginning of the serving line(s), the food items that constitute the unit-priced reimbursable school meal(s).”

A new significant steps of assuring that only healthy food options are offered to students in schools went into effect on July 1, 2014 with the implementation of the 'Smart Snacks' legislation in schools, revolutionizing the competitive foods offered in all US schools.

USDA recommends to use the USDA’s Choose MyPlate icon as school's guide for selling snacks that meet the new Smart Snack rule in schools and to use www.schools.utah.gov/finance/Professional-Development/Charter-School/Smart-Snacks-Handout-March-2014.aspx handout as a starting point to find a variety of brain boosting snack and beverage choices for schools.

The Epicure Menu Board product line includes:

The newly introduced 'MyPlate Today' Dry Erase Menu Boards that can help school food services to update their menu selections in an easily and efficient way and without the need to rewrite their menus daily. Just add a check mark to menu items served today, and you are done with changing you menu board daily! http://www.myplatemenuboards.com/myplate-dry-erase-boards.html

My Plate Dry Erase Menu Boards. As an option, you can apply to each Epicure My Plate Dry Erase Menu Board, transparent reusable labels for each MyPlate food group (Protein, Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Dairy). Labels come on 8.5 x 11" sheets for quick and easy printing on school's standard in-house printers. It will take less than a minute to update you menu board daily!

MyPlate Dry Erase Boards with Magnetic Strips and Magnet Blocks (a simple system to save time and avoid handwriting and spelling errors). Again, it will take less than a minute to update you menu boards daily! http://www.myplatemenuboards.com/magnetic-strips-myplate-boards.html

MyPlate Dry Erase Boards with Colored Frames.

MyPlate Dry Erase Boards on Wheels: http://www.myplatemenuboards.com/myplate-on-wheels.html

MyPlate Front of Line Dry Erase Boards with suction cups and free-standing models: http://www.myplatemenuboards.com/front-of-line.html

Smart Snacks A-La-Carte Dry Erase Boards including the newly announced 'MyPlate Smart Snack' A-La-Carte Dry Erase Menu Boards http://www.myplatemenuboards.com/smart-snacks.html

Digital Menu Boards with NutriLive Nutritional Menu Labeling and creative ways to add Smart Snacks A-La-Carte Information

Any Epicure dry erase menu board can use any of Epicure dray erase systems, such as: 'My Plate Today', Magnetic Strips, Magnetic Blocks, Transparent reusable clings, Colored Frames, On Wheels, Front of the Line and digital menu boards.

Epicure Digital clients include K-12 schools, colleges and universities, hospitals, independent and chain restaurants, contract food service companies, business & industry, and cinemas and casinos among others.

For more information, contact:
Tommy Orpaz
310-652-8246 x 3
torpaz(at)epicuredigital(dot)com