Healthy Snack Facts

Christine Rankin, Corporate Foodservices Manager, Hallmark, Kansas City, MO

“Four-compartment grab ‘n go containers have been a huge success. They sell out every single day.

We first thought of the smaller size as a driver, then thought about what we could put in them. Focusing on different priorities and cravings customers may have (high protein, small bread options, dried fruit, small amounts of cheese, veggies, hummus, occasional sweet tooth, etc.), our staff has come up with some amazing combinations.

Hummus does not have to be boring. We make sweet potato hummus, red pepper-edamame hummus and black bean hummus.

Good snacks include a variety of “dip-ables,” such as sliced apples with peanut butter; pretzel bites and flavored cream cheese; pretzel crisps and spinach dip.

RECIPE: Krunchy Kale Chips

“The snack cups (at right) also sell out every day. Especially the S’mores Cup. Our philosophy in taking our customers’ snack habits from pizza and nachos to healthier options like whole grains has not been, ‘You can never snack again.’ We want to address health, using portion size as a driver."

Debbie Beauvais, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, School Nutrition Director at Gates Chili and East Rochester Schools

“The key to healthful snacking is having some protein-rich food as part of the snack. This will make you feel satisfied until the next meal.”

“Trail mix is a great way to accomplish this: combine roasted almonds or other nuts, mini pretzels, dried fruit like craisins, raisins, banana chips, dates or apricots. You can also include chocolate—like M&Ms or carob chips. Individual baggies or containers make for perfect portion control."

Rick Panfil, General Manager, Bon Appetit, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH

“Students looking to grab a healthy snack go to the smoothie bar at DeCafe, a concept that offers a wide variety of fruit, including local apples, strawberries and raspberries, as well as bananas and mangos. Then, it gets interesting. Many students love to add chai or soymilk as the base. The newest additions to the smoothie bar are celery and spinach.
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“DeCafe sold 29,468 smoothies last year. That’s approximately 14,734 lbs. of fruit. And remember, our student body is only about 3,000!”