School Nutrition Conference Takes Place in Duluth

It's the Biggest School Nutrition Event in the State

DULUTH, Minn.- More than 800 School Nutrition professionals were at the DECC to talk about nutrition, school meals, and ideas on how to provide healthy options that even picky kids will still eat.

The conference is the state’s largest school nutrition event, and is a way to bring together school nutrition professionals for educational sessions and networking.

“The children today are very saavy consumers so we want to have nice looking meals we wanna have fresh fruit and vegetables displayed so that it’s an inviting and welcoming place for the children to come,” said Pam Bowe, the Food Service Director of the Duluth School District.

Some of the topics covered include how to make healthy foods palatable, how to educate students on what they are putting in their bodies, effective ways to strengthen meal programs, and federal nutrition requirements that have been changing over the last decade.

“Since 2011 with the healthy hunger free kid act we have had to cut out a lot of fat, calories, sodium, some sugar in our school meals, so that has been a very hard process,” said Wendy Knight, the Coordinator of food and nutrition services of District 196.

The conferences started Sunday and wraps up Wednesday.