Local Company Partners with World’s Largest Producer of Fruits and
Vegetables to Complement School Lunch Options for Piscataway Township
Students
PISCATAWAY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 11, 2013--
Today, Dole Food Company and Stop Shop were joined by Teresa M.
Rafferty, Interim Superintendent of Schools, William Baskerville,
Principal of Grandview Elementary School, Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula
and Mayor Brian Wahler to celebrate the donation of four salad bars to
schools in Piscataway Township at the Grandview Elementary School. The
salad bars were donated as a part of the First Lady’s Let’s Move Salad
Bars to Schools initiative, which has donated more than 2,500 salad bars
serving more than 1,250,000 children across the country.
A first grade student at Grandview Elementary School in Piscataway, NJ enjoys the school's new salad bar donated by Dole Food Company. (Photo: Business Wire)
The Piscataway School District has been doing its part to ensure their
students are eating healthy. In the fall 2012 school cafeterias had to
meet new federal nutrition standards, which included some of the biggest
changes in 30 years. These standards make sure that students will
receive well-balanced meals and all the nutrition they need to succeed
in school! Currently school meals include: A larger variety of fruits
and vegetables, serving sizes for each age group, more whole grains,
less salt and fat-free or 1% milk.
The event underscored the practical actions schools can take to combat
the growing obesity epidemic through healthy lunch options. As schools
work diligently to comply with the USDA new nutrition standards for
school lunches, salad bars serve as a reasonably priced, attractive
option to increase our students’ consumption of fruits and vegetables.
“Salad bar donations are a natural extension of Dole’s ongoing
commitment to childhood nutrition,” said Marty Ordman, Dole’s Vice
President of Marketing and Corporate Communications. “Stop Shop has
been a part of New England, New York and New Jersey communities for over
90 years. Their dedication to making sure that young people are living
healthier lives matches our passion at Dole. We are proud to partner
with them for this project.”
“Growing from a single corner grocer to a chain of more than 400 stores
throughout New England, New York and New Jersey, Stop Shop has offered
its customers the best selection, quality and value for more than 90
years” said Arlene Putterman, Manager, Public Community Relations at
Stop Shop. “When children have the chance to sample fresh fruits and
vegetables at school, they’re more likely to ask for them at home. This
is a wonderful example of how schools and businesses can work together
to create healthier communities.”
In November 2010, Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools, a grassroots public
health initiative working in support of First Lady Michelle Obama’s
Let’s Move! Initiative was created. The partners of the initiative,
including Dole, share a vision to significantly increase the number of
salad bars in schools across the country until every child has the
choice of healthy fruits and vegetables every day at school. This
initiative goes hand in hand with the new standards from USDA, which
aims to offer more nutritious choices for kids, including whole grains,
fruits and vegetables, and school flavored milk that is lower in sugar
and calories than ever before.
About Piscataway Township Schools
Serving over 7,500 students, Piscataway Township Schools provide K
through 12 and preschool programming, special education instructional
programs and services, as well as before and aftercare, adult education
classes, youth enrichment programs, and summer youth programs. The
mission of the Piscataway Public Schools is the continual development of
each child’s intellectual, aesthetic, social and physical abilities in a
positive environment that fosters self-esteem, to help each student
realize their individual abilities and gifts. For more information visit www.pway.org.
About Dole Food Company
Dole Food Company, with 2012 revenues of $4.2 billion, is one of the
world’s largest producers and marketers of high-quality fresh fruit and
fresh vegetables. Dole is an industry leader in many of the products it
sells, as well as in nutrition education and research. For more
information, please visit www.dole.com
About Stop Shop
The Stop Shop Supermarket Company LLC employs approximately 62,000
associates and operates more than 400 stores throughout Massachusetts,
Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, and New Jersey. The
company helps support local communities fight hunger, combat childhood
cancer and promote general health and wellness - with emphasis on
children's educational and support programs. In its commitment to be a
sustainable company, Stop Shop is a member of the U.S. Green Building
Council and EPA'sSmart Way program; has been awarded LEED (EB)
certifications for 50 of its existing stores; and has been recognized by
the EPA for the superior energy management of its stores. Stop Shop is
an Ahold company. To learn more about Stop Shop, visit www.stopandshop.com.
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