High School and Middle School Students Seeking Healthier Food Choices

ARAMARK Research Finds 60 Percent of Students Want Healthy Options; New Menu Icons will Help Students Identify Good Food Choices

Philadelphia, PA – As families across the country prepare to send their children back to school, a recent survey of more than 50,000 middle and high school students throughout the United States by ARAMARK, a leading provider of school food and nutrition services, found that nearly 60 percent of students (ages 12-18) are interested in making healthier food choices.
As a result of the survey and as a way to assist students in making more informed menu selections, ARAMARK will be launching Healthy for Life Menu Icons™ in high schools across the country to help students make healthy meal decisions quickly and more easily. Over 170 high schools have signed on to participate in the new menu system that will be introduced as part of their school’s dining experience in the fall.

“We are very encouraged that so many students are interested in making healthier food choices,” said Linda Sceurman, R.D. and Director of Nutrition and Menu Development for ARAMARK Education. “The new menu icons are an excellent way to draw students’ attention to the healthiest menu options.”

The Healthy for Life Menu Icons™ are a part of ARAMARK’s Healthy for Life™ initiative, a comprehensive wellness and nutrition education program that encourages students, staff, and their families to make healthier food choices and adopt more active lifestyles. The Healthy for Life Menu Icons™ will be displayed prominently alongside appropriate items being served, as well as on the school’s printed or online menu to alert students to the availability of healthy meal options.

The colorful, leaf-shaped icons specify which foods are: vegetarian options (Vegetarian); grown locally (Locally Grown); nutrient dense but lower in calories (Calorie Counter); low in calories, fat and sodium (Eat Well Selection); and made with hearty whole grains (Made with Hearty Whole Grains).

School icons

In addition to the new menu icon system, students will be able to choose from a variety of healthy favorites during their school breakfast and lunch this school year, including:

• Whole grain pizza with low-fat cheese
• Grilled chicken wraps
• Yogurt and fruit parfaits
• Salad bars and salad shakers
• Whole grain pasta
• Whole grain pancakes
• Whole grain muffins

ARAMARK surveys students each year as part of its StudentViewPOINT™, a proprietary research program which collects valuable data from students about their dining habits and attitudes. The Company is a proud supporter of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative and the USDA’s HealthierUS School Challenge.

About ARAMARK Education
ARAMARK Education provides a complete range of food, facility, uniform and other support services to more than 500 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. For more information on ARAMARK’s K-12 food service 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. The company is recognized as one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies” by the Ethisphere Institute, as the industry leader in FORTUNE magazine’s “World’s Most Admired Companies,” and as one of America’s Largest Private Companies by both FORTUNE and Forbes magazines. ARAMARK seeks to responsibly address issues that matter to its clients, customers, employees and communities by focusing on employee advocacy, environmental stewardship, health and wellness, and community involvement. Headquartered in Philadelphia, ARAMARK has approximately 255,000 employees serving clients in 22 countries. Learn more at www.twitter.com/aramarknews.