Bessey Creek Elementary in Palm City: Kids go high-tech to choose lunch menu

Instant feedback for new school foods

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Students at Bessey Creek Elementary in Palm City vote on school menu.
Photographer: WPTV
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Posted: 03/11/2013

By: Jon Shainman

PALM CITY, Fla. -

In Martin County, a big vote is underway not to elect a mayor or a councilman but for the kids to decide something that could be vital to their very survival.

For the kids who buy lunch at Bessey Creek Elementary in Palm City, it is a great day. Chicken bites are on the menu and they're a near unanimous favorite in our non-scientific survey.

But could anything ever supplant the mighty bite? Perhaps it will emerge from the oven Monday.

A piping hot tray of pizza crunchers emerges, followed by a second tray holding shrimp poppers. Along with a mixed fruit and vegetable juice, dozens of kids are getting the chance to sample these new items.

They're then given ITouches to cast their decisions.

Some faces are enough immediate feedback, but the majority of the kids liked what they tried.

"I like the shrimp it was really good," giggled Jordan Losardo, a third grader.

The challenge for the food and nutrition department is to find foods that not only taste good and are cost efficient but are also not nutrient deficient.

"First of all they have to meet certain nutritional guidelines and the federal regulations so we do prescreen them for that," said Food and Nutrition Director Vonda Moonier.

"We look for whole grain products, lo-fat products that meet kid friendly requests and then we have specialty ovens that allows us to bake instead of fry the product," said district dietician Yvonne Potsko.

At the end of the day, the results were tabulated and all three products passed with flying colors. With the I-touch, the kids will decide what they will eat come next school year.

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