The Advocate – AMY WOLD
“Nine-year-old Jamie Nava took a glance at his lunch at Dufrocq Elementary School Tuesday and thought it included some funny-looking eggplant, but on closer inspection, he realized it was sweet potatoes — not from a can but freshly roasted from the oven with a little bit of sugar on top. Proudly wearing a sticker saying he had tried the sweet potato, Jamie said he liked it. It’s the kind of reaction LSU Agricultural Center staff have been working toward during the first year of a pilot project called Harvest of the Month to test how to get fresh fruits and vegetables into school lunches. Starting with just three schools, Dufrocq, Andrew H. Wilson Charter School in New Orleans and North Bayou Rapides Elementary School in Alexandria, the pilot program has run its course in East Baton Rouge Parish. However, it appears to have paved the way for schools next year to get a choice on whether fresh sweet potatoes will be on the menu. Ann Savage, extension associate with LSU Agricultural Center who has been running the program, said the school system plans to put sweet potatoes on the bid list each month, and individual schools can choose whether to serve fresh or canned.”(more)