Food facts, fast
Nutrislice adds nutritional breakdowns to CMS menus
Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Schools
families now have food
facts at their fingertips to
help them make healthy
meal choices throughout
the school year.
School Nutrition
Services (SNS) has
introduced Nutrislice,
a digital tool that
provides transparency
and information about
cafeteria meals through
interactive menus. The
new tool is already in use at more than 1,500 school districts and can be
accessed through a free mobile app or the CMS website.
“Nutrislice allows you to go deeper in detail if you want to know more
about school meals,” said Cathy Beam, SNS executive director. “It also
streamlines our communication process from point A to point Z, starting
with the planned menus through the digital signage in the cafeterias.”
For any menu item, Nutrislice, will provide a color photo, allergen
and nutritional information – from carbs and calories to fiber and fat. For
example, parents curious about the Char-Meck-A-Nator sandwich can see
it has 320 calories and 18 grams of protein, but also milk, wheat and soy,
to which some children are allergic. Parents can flag specific allergens and
meals containing them will be struck through on their menu. Another filter
can identify items that qualify as vegan, vegetarian or both.
Parents can sort menus in several ways and bookmark as many as
they need. The menus are printer-friendly for those who want hard copies
and can be translated into multiple languages with just a few clicks. There
is also a rating system for each item, contact information for customer
feedback and a news tab for SNS food updates.
Nutrislice also provides a better way to manage the digital messages
that appear on the 400 TV screens in cafeterias across the district. Penny
Davis, SNS marketing technician, said what once was a multistep process
has now become seamless.
“Digital signage is especially
important in the high schools and
Nutrislice gives us a better way to
manage it,” Davis said. “It streamlines
the process, the information is consistent
and there’s less human error.”
This is the first initiative under School
Nutrition Services, which was formerly
known as Child Nutrition. SNS rebran ded
to align with similar departments across
the country and to reflect the scope of the department, said Margaret
Cameron, SNS wellness and marketing specialist. During the school year,
SNS serves 100,000 meals a day – three meals a day at many schools –
and runs the largest summer-meal program in the state.
SNS consistently rolls out new food combinations to meet religious,
ethnic and taste preferences and to encourage students to try new things.
Beam said SNS plays a part in the full life of a child by teaching them
how to eat and emphasized that school meals are both healthy and cost-
effective.
“We want children to eat meals with us and to be the provider of choice
for a parent,” Beam said. “Nutrislice is innovative and we’re excited to be
able to bring that to CMS.”
To access Nutrislice, go to Cafeteria Menus under Spotlight on the CMS
homepage for the web version. The free mobile app can be downloaded
from the Apple Store or Google Play. The mobile version can also be viewed
by clicking the School Menus tab on the right side of the CMS homepage.
Parents,
stay positive!
Triple P takes the guesswork out of parenting
The Triple P – Positive Parenting Program won’t tell you
how to parent — it’s more like a toolbox of ideas. You
choose the strategies you need and how you use them.
It’s all about making Triple P work for you!
Triple P is now available to all parents in Mecklenburg and
Union Counties, and is also available in Spanish.
To find out more, go to www.triplep-parenting.com
Triple P – the positive parenting
program to help every parent
www.triplep-parenting.com
Parent Teacher Magazine • September/October 2018 • 3