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Expo allows kids to taste future
Healthier options audition for menu
Food 1
Gabe Kellermann and Ellis Royal sample cheese dip from Hidden Healthies during Forsyth County’s third annual food expo. - photo by Jennifer Sami
Brownies, pizza and chicken nuggets may not sound like the most nutritious menu items, but they’ve come a long way.During Forsyth County’s third annual school food expo Wednesday, vendors offered samples with the focus on healthier options.Instead of white dough, Uno Pizza’s crust uses a 50-50 mixture with whole grain. Tyson’s chicken nuggets are baked, not fried. Many dessert options use fruit instead of sugar and feature whole grain alternatives.“We got the nutritional value of everything they want to show here and it has to meet the criteria for the national school lunch program,” said Susan Woods, the school system’s food service director.“We’re looking at the alternatives because they’re going to reduce the number of times we can serve starchy vegetables a week tremendously, and that’s going to be the biggest thing that’s going to hit us.”The reduction in starchy vegetables is just one update in a list of guidelines proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.