USA Rice and Chartwells Promote Healthy Eating and Classroom Education

To celebrate National Nutrition Month and nationwide efforts to boost nutrition in school meals, USA Rice Federation is partnering with Chartwells School Dining Services, the nation’s leader in contract management services to 6,000 schools nationwide, to emphasize the importance of healthy eating. Chartwells’ EAT LEARN LIVE With Color Nutrition Month^® campaign teaches students to choose healthy foods including whole grains like brown rice along with lean proteins, fruits and vegetables.

The program encourages schools to conduct activities to promote whole grain brown rice by serving healthy rice bowls for lunch, and utilizes a fun, interactive workbook, U.S. Rice In The Classroom to teach students about U.S.-grown rice. Classroom activities also include preparing a seasoned brown rice mix recipe that students can cook at home with their parents.

To support these efforts, USA Rice staff will visit several Chartwells-managed schools this month to present rice information during nutrition education sessions. The promotion leverages the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s initiative to improve the nutritional quality of school meals by increasing servings of whole grains as recommended by the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

“As advocates for child nutrition, Chartwells and the USA Rice Federation share the same vision for healthy school meals,” said Betsy Ward, president and CEO of USA Rice Federation. “The promotion combines healthy eating with education, making it fun for students to learn how to make informed food choices every day. Healthy rice bowls are a great example of flavorful, nutritionally-balanced meals that are versatile, popular, and help schools meet their nutrition goals.”

For more information and recipes, visit www.MenuRice.com.

The USA Rice Federation is the global advocate for all segments of the U.S. rice industry with a mission to promote and protect the interests of producers, millers, merchants and allied businesses. About 85 percent of the rice consumed in the U.S. is grown here. U.S. rice farmers produce an abundance of short-, medium-, and long-grain rice, as well as organic and specialty rices such as jasmine, basmati and arborio, in Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas, according to the highest-quality and wholesomeness standards. Sustainably grown U.S. rice helps consumers reduce their food miles because it is a domestically grown product. Look for the “Grown in the USA” logo on packages of 100-percent U.S.-grown rice.

For more information, contact Rosa Brantley Garcia at (410) 715-1500 x152.