Health Information Blog

Food and Nutrition Programs Support Local School Wellness Policies Across the Nation

PHILADELPHIA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–ARAMARK, a world leader in providing professional services, is encouraging students to “Vote for School Lunch,” in celebration of the theme developed by the School Nutrition Association for this year’s National School Lunch Week, October 15-19, 2007. In recognition of this important week, ARAMARK has developed nutrition-related educational tools, including posters, banners, letters to parents, school newspaper advertisements, public address announcements and graphics, to communicate the importance of enjoying a well-balanced lunch and adopting a healthy lifestyle.

Established by former President John F. Kennedy in 1963, National School Lunch Week helps raise awareness of and build support for the role played by school food service and nutrition programs in the lives of American children.

Much has changed in school food service since that proclamation in the 1960s. Today, more stringent state and federal nutritional guidelines and Local School Wellness Policies are in place. In support of these policies, ARAMARK has developed customer-focused menus and age-specific dining brands and promotions to raise student interest in their school food service programs.

“National School Lunch Week is an opportunity for ARAMARK and its district partners to celebrate our commitment to healthy lifestyles,” said Dennis Maple, President, ARAMARK Education. “ARAMARK is dedicated to the health and wellness of our nation’s school children and we continue to support our district partners by providing food and nutrition programs that address current childhood health issues.”

As part of an ongoing commitment to health and wellness, ARAMARK has created new recipes that are lower in fat, sugar and sodium, reduced portion sizes, added more fresh fruits and vegetables to the menu and increased breakfast options.

Students around the country now enjoy lunch menus that feature low-fat sandwich wraps, full-scale salad bars, 100 percent fruit smoothies, veggie burgers, baked chicken sandwiches, whole-grain pizzas, and yogurt and granola parfaits. A few examples of healthy menu items from ARAMARK-managed school districts include:

Bernards Township Schools (Bernards Township, NJ): Vegetarian burger; chef salads; whole wheat pizza and stromboli; 100 percent fruit smoothies.

School District of Beloit (Beloit, WI): Whole wheat pizza crust; made-to-order deli bar; baked chicken nuggets; chef salads; fresh fruit and veggie bar.

Canyon Independent School District (Canyon, TX): 100 percent fruit smoothies; wheat rolls; baked chips; fresh wraps and salads; fajitas and quesadillas.

Chappaqua Central School District (Chappaqua, NY): Twisted whole grain rice and pasta, containing partial whole grains, is helping students get used to whole grains as part of their diet. Sandwiches contain half white and half whole wheat bread.

Cherry Hill Public Schools (Cherry Hill, NJ): Rice or bean sides instead of french fries or chips; fat-free, fresh sandwich wraps.

Clear Creek Independent School District (League City, TX): Spike’s Veggie Club and Spike’s Fresh Fruit Club – loyalty programs, named after ARAMARK’s nutrition mascot Spike, where students who make these healthy selections every day are eligible to win prizes.

Duval County Schools (Duval County, FL): All lean beef products; reduced-fat cheeses; turkey hot dogs and turkey-based lunch meats; baked snacks.

Houston Independent School District (Houston, TX): Menu items include fortified whole grains, vitamins, and nutrients; steamed vegetables; baked french fries; nachos made with fortified and enriched flour chips, 80 percent chicken and 20 percent beef filling, and low-fat cheese; hot dogs made with 100 percent low-fat turkey and served on whole wheat buns.

Round Rock Independent School District (Round Rock, TX): Educational program where elementary students learn to prepare healthy snacks, like fruit kabobs and yogurt parfaits, in the classroom environment.

St. Louis Public Schools (St. Louis, MO): Grilled chicken salad; baked chips; yogurt parfaits; 100 calorie snacks; chicken quesadilla; teriyaki chicken with steamed rice; taco salad with rice and black beans.

Sterling Public Schools (Sterling, IL): Vegetarian quesadillas.

ARAMARK has also developed wellness programs like SnackFactor, AMP UP with Breakfast, HealthSmart™ APPLES, Treat Yourself Right (TYR), FUEL, and “Spike,” ARAMARK’s Elementary Mascot, to help students make informed, well-balanced meal choices whether eating in or outside of school. **

About ARAMARK Education

ARAMARK Education provides a complete range of food, facility, uniform and other support services to more than 600 K-12 school districts in the U.S. It offers public and private education institutions a family of dining and facility services including: on-site and off-site breakfast and lunch meal programs, after-school snacks, catering, nutrition education, retail design and operations, maintenance, custodial, grounds, energy management, construction management, and building commissioning. ARAMARK Education serves nearly 350 million meals each year to students in 420 school districts nationwide. For more information on ARAMARK’s K-12 programs, please visit www.aramarkschools.com.

About ARAMARK

ARAMARK is a leader in professional services, providing award-winning food services, facilities management, and uniform and career apparel to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, and businesses around the world. In FORTUNE magazine’s list of “America’s Most Admired Companies,” ARAMARK has consistently ranked as one of the top three most admired companies in its industry as evaluated by peers and industry analysts since 1998. The company was also ranked first in its industry in the 2007 FORTUNE 500 survey. Headquartered in Philadelphia, ARAMARK has approximately 240,000 employees serving clients in 18 countries. Learn more at the company’s Web site, www.aramark.com.

** Descriptions of some of the ARAMARK nutritional education programs and activities:

SnackFactor: A healthy snack program for middle and high school students. With SnackFactor, ARAMARK offers students more than 150 healthy snack options, including mainstream and organic versions of low fat granola bars, cereal bars, baked chips and snacks, animal and graham crackers, yogurt, water, 100% juice and smoothie beverages, fresh fruits and vegetables. Through ARAMARK’s various service delivery systems, healthy snacks can be offered on the traditional food service line, before and after-school, in the classroom, during state test periods, in grab-and-go kiosks and vending machines.

AMP UP! With Breakfast: A new breakfast program for kindergarten through 12^th grade students. This program offers easy-to-implement breakfast delivery options for classrooms, cafeterias and/or portable stations, with a focus on convenience. It features over 400 grab and go products to build a new breakfast program menu or enhance existing breakfast offerings. Students can enjoy great-tasting, morning favorites, such as fruits, wholesome hot foods, cereals, breakfast snacks, yogurt, smoothies and juice beverages.

HealthSmart^TM APPLES: An award-winning customizable K-12 nutrition education and wellness activity curriculum that teachers and foodservice can customize for their respective student groups. This comprehensive bilingual program incorporates MyPyramid guidelines and other wellness standards from all 50 states.

Treat Yourself Right (TYR): This education program for middle and high school students reinforces healthy lifestyle messages. TYR utilizes a variety of communication vehicles, such as weekly tips, posters, nutrition newsletters, flyers, and a web based community, to empower students to make the right decisions for wellness.

FUEL: The FUEL campaign is aimed at making school lunch “cool” and relevant to secondary level students. With monthly themed promotions, FUEL is designed to combat “menu fatigue” and generate excitement around in-school dining, while reinforcing a healthy school lunch as an important way for students to get the fuel they need to participate in their favorite activities throughout the busy school day. FUEL materials are designed with graphics and messaging that resonate specifically with the tween and teen marketplace; and the program website (www.fuel4me.com) features interactive games, Treat Yourself Right (TYR) tips and links to nutrition resource sites.

SPIKE: Elementary school nutrition mascot, Spike, shares his Stay Healthy wellness message through a monthly program, with a new theme each year, which includes inserts to share nutritional fun facts, along with an educational premium. A Spike Live assembly show and video series with lesson plans also teach students about the importance of making healthy choices and staying fit.

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OTTAWA, ONTARIO — Health Canada is aware of the growing body of evidence on the role of vitamin D in relation to health. While a number of independent recommendations concerning vitamin D intake have been issued by various organizations, Health Canada believes these recommendations are premature and that a comprehensive review that looks at both benefits and safety needs to be undertaken before the Department can issue a revised recommendation.

The United States Institute of Medicine (IOM) establishes nutrient reference values which are used by Health Canada to set policies and standards. Until an update of the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for vitamin D is issued by the IOM, Health Canada continues to recommend 200IU of vitamin D per day for adults 19 to 50 years of age, including pregnant and lactating women. All Canadians are encouraged to follow the advice contained in Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide, which recommends that all Canadians over the age of two consume 500 mL (two cups) of milk every day for adequate vitamin D and in addition encourages everyone over the age of 50 to take a daily supplement of 400 IU of vitamin D. We also urge Canadians to continue to eat well and to be active every day to reduce their risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.

Health Canada recognizes that there is significant evidence that has emerged since the IOM established recommendations for vitamin D in 1997. We will continue to work closely with the United States Department of Health and Human Services to determine how best to update the DRIs, including those for vitamin D.

Health Canada would like to remind Canadians that there are health risks associated with taking too much vitamin D and they should not exceed the Tolerable Upper Intake Level set for adults at 2000IU/day from all sources of vitamin D, including milk and over the counter supplements. If you want more information about vitamin D, speak with your health care professional.

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For more information, please contact
Media Inquiries:
Health Canada
Paul Duchesne
613-954-4807

or

Public Inquiries:
613-957-2991
1-866-225-0709

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In 2005, Hurricane Katrina attacked US. It was the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States. Many people lost their home and their job.

We still see the impact of this hurricane. As reported, Children are suffering from allergies, asthma, respiratory problems as well as stress related illnesses such as headaches and gastritis. Some children reported, suffering malnutrition problem.

Non profit organization and vitamin distributor, on this summer will give free vitamin to the Katrina Victim children.

Press Release

Program Launched to Bring Tishcon Donated Daily Multi-Vitamins to Young Katrina Victims

OJAI, Calif., Sept. 13 — This summer Vitamin Relief USA (http://www.vitaminrelief.org) and Tishcon Corp. (http://www.tishcon.com) joined Bay St. Louis-Waveland School District of Mississippi to launch a free vitamin distribution program designed to help reverse health problems in the area’s developing children. In a school district completely crushed by Hurricane Katrina, many of the families with children attending Bay-Waveland schools are unable to provide such basic necessities as a hot nutritious meal or food for sack lunches. Families are also exposed to harmful bacteria and mold created by the massive flooding from the hurricane as well as the area’s high temperatures.

School nurses report that children are suffering from allergies, asthma, respiratory problems as well as stress related illnesses such as headaches and gastritis. The health and well-being of the children have been a concern for parents and teachers alike, but thanks to projects such as Vitamin Relief USA, that concern is being met with action. Vitamin relief is now providing the Bay St. Louis-Waveland School Districts with on-going supplies of high quality children’s chewable multi-vitamins for all its students.

Bay St. Louis-Waveland school district officials were able to open schools again last year, though all classes are now held in metal trailers. Many of the families who attend the schools are still busy rebuilding their lives as well as their bodies. 60-70% of the families still find themselves living in FEMA trailers. It is of the utmost importance that the children living in these conditions receive nutritional support to help strengthen their immune systems so their bodies can fight off harmful mold, bacteria and viruses in their environment and handle the stress of their difficult lives. As many of these trailers and living conditions are not equipped for hot food preparation, home cooked meals for most of these children are non-existent. For many children, malnourishment is a serious problem.

“Vitamin Relief USA is spearheading this free vitamin program to provide these children with the nutritional support they need. The fallout from malnutrition is not only evident in the daily life of a malnourished child, it also negatively impacts their entire family. Malnourished children feel sick, anxious, tired, and unmotivated. These parents are already dealing with so much. Helping improve their children’s health relieves some of the parents’ stress so they can focus on the daunting tasks before them,” says Vitamin Relief USA’s Executive Director Michael Morton.

Recent reports have surfaced in the press saying that many of the FEMA trailers are contaminated with toxicity levels far higher then healthy bodies can handle, let alone malnourished systems, as is the case for many of the trailer’s inhabitants. The toxic element reportedly found in the trailers is Formaldehyde, a common wood preservative used in the trailers’ building materials. According to reports, Formaldehyde gas is emitting from the walls of some of the FEMA trailers and families are unknowingly inhaling the toxic fumes. Currently the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention are conducting a study on this issue at the request of FEMA.

owever, The US Environmental Protection Agency reports that exposure to low levels of Formaldehyde can cause a number of health problems including eye and throat irritation, fatigue, and nausea, but higher levels, such as the ones found in the trailers, can lead to difficulty breathing, attacks in people with asthma, and has caused cancer in animals and may cause cancer in humans.(1) For people with decreased immune systems due to already unhealthy conditions, this exposure to toxins can be even more harmful. It is of extreme importance that these people are given the proper nutritional support to keep as healthy as possible while the research by the CDC is conducted.

By supporting the schools through an on-going supply of daily multi-vitamins, school administrators are able to ensure that their students are receiving the recommended daily amounts of essential vitamins and minerals to help the children’s already taxed bodies during this difficult time. At all participating schools, school health administrators distribute freshly manufactured, high-quality multi-vitamin/minerals to the parents of attending students. Educational information packets are distributed along with the vitamins so that family members will understand the importance of nutrition in helping to support their children’s health.

“Our vitamin programs have a track record of helping malnourished children become healthier and gain emotional balance, immune support, mental alertness and concentration, better grades, school attendance, and even self confidence. These daily multivitamins are extremely helpful for these children, particularly if the reports of Formaldehyde gas in the FEMA trailers are true,” comments Morton.

Thanks to the generous donation of multi-vitamins from Tishcon Corporation, Vitamin Relief USA was able to jump-start this initiative to improve the health and well-being of children and their families throughout Bay St. Louis. “Tishcon Corp. has shown their great generosity for those in need for many years now. We are very grateful to them,” says Morton. Tishcon Corp donated 3 million vitamins for Vitamin Relief USA’s Katrina Relief Program soon after Hurricane Katrina landed two years ago. Since 2000, Tishcon Corp has contributed over 44 million vitamins for Vitamin Relief USA’s children and adult programs across the country.

“Vitamin Relief invites everyone to join with us to help with this serious situation in our nation’s own backyard. To grow stronger as a nation, we must first take care of our own. We can make a tremendous contribution in these families’ health, their future and the future of our nation,” says Morton.

Vitamin Relief USA has received the highest rating, two years in a row,from Charity Navigator, the renowned charity watchdog organization. Independent audits show that 93% of donated funds go directly to Vitamin Relief USA programs. Vitamin Relief USA currently provides daily multi-vitamins to more than 26,000 needy children at more than 300 sites in 33 states across the United States. Vitamin Relief USA has expanded under
the umbrella of Nourish America, to not only provide multi-vitamins but also natural, functional and organic food products and health education to those in need in America.

Nourish America is a dba of Vitamin Relief USA, a tax-exempt, non-profit organization committed to improving the health status of children, seniors and adults at risk for malnutrition through vitamin supplementation, health education, and donations of nutritional foods. To support Nourish America — Vitamin Relief USA, or for further information, please call 866-487-1484 or visit the website at http://www.vitaminrelief.org.

Tishcon Corp., founded in 1976, is a leading manufacturer and marketerof vitamins, related dietary and herbal supplements and private label non-prescription (OTC) pharmaceuticals. Some major products are Q-Gel(R) Forte, Q-Gel(R) Ultra,Q-Gel(R) Mega and the recently introduced Hydrosoluble Chew Q(R) 30mg and 100mg chewable tablets and Liquid Q(R).

A full service manufacturer, Tishcon Corp. also specializes in technologies aimed at enhancing the bioavailability of nutraceuticals. Revolutionary technological developments include Bio Solv(R) — hydro soluble softgels, which enable quick and optimum absorption of vitamins, minerals and herbal extracts.

Tishcon Corp. is registered with the U.S. FDA, NY State Board of Pharmacy, and is GMP Certified by the NNFA and NSF. Additionally, Tishcon has received Certification from the USP under their Dietary Supplement Verification Program (DSVP) for 7 of their Q-Gel products.

For further information, visit http://www.Tishcon.com; call 1-800 848-8442 or write to: Arun@Tishcon.com.

For media inquiries contact Karla Newendorp, of ChristieCommunications, at (805) 962-1347, or by email at knewendorp[at]christiecomm.com.

(1) US Environmental Protection Agency, August 22, 2007, http://www.epa.gov/iaq/formalde.html

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