5 Things: District Bans Energy Drinks and Beef Price Spikes Hurt Good Food Project

Each Friday I compile a list that highlights five things you probably missed in the news that week and why you should care about them.

Here’s your list for the week of March 23:

1.    District bans energy drinks
Western Boone County Community School Corporation in Indiana has banned energy drinks and nutrition supplements. Not only can the district not serve these items, but students also can’t bring them with them.

"What they choose to do when they’re not in school is a different story. We can’t control that, but what they do while they’re in school, that’s the message we want to send -- while you’re here, this is what we stand for and this is what we think is right," said Superintendent Judi Hendrix, in an article in the Indy Channel.

Student athletes found with these items may be suspended, the article said.

This is just another example of the growing number of regulations found with schools and food that puts school foodservice directors in the hot seat.

Read more: Area school district bans sport supplements

2.    Discharge papers and food?
Patients at some UK hospitals will be given a bag of food when they are discharged from the hospital in an effort to help them ease back into life at home in a healthy manner.

“These simple food bags will help ease the transition from hospital to home which, alongside a wider programme (sic) of care and support, can help to reduce the likelihood of a patient becoming ill again and having to come back into hospital,” said Acute Medicine Matron Hayley Reading, in an article in the Westmoreland Gazette.

It’s an interesting concept and one that US hospitals might employ as they look at ways to reduce readmissions under ACA.

Read more: Hospitals trust offers innovative 'food-to-go' service for discharged patients

3. Southern comfort at the ballpark
Chicken & waffles and fried green tomatoes while you watch the game? Sure, why not? If you go to an Arizona Diamondbacks game, you’ll be able to sample these items and more as the club looks to up its culinary ante by bringing in local restaurants to serve their signature grub to ballgame goers.

Read more: Diamondbacks unveil new food offerings at Chase Field

4.    Beef price hikes challenge district’s Good Food Project
D-11 in Colorado Springs is well-known for it’s Good Food Project, which focuses on serving foods that are hormone- and antibiotic-free, fresh and not highly processed and without additives like sugar or preservatives. The district is also focused on purchasing as much locally as possible, and since 2010, the district has purchased its beef from a local vendor. That all changed this year as prices for beef spiked and new regulations for school meal programs cut into the department’s funds.

A local fundraiser to help the district return to its old beef vendor has so far raised $500.

Read more: Fundraiser launched to help Colorado Springs school district buy local beef after price hikes

5.    Pizza boxes get trashed
Long the fuel for late-night study sessions, pizza has always been a staple on college campuses. But what to do with all those boxes? You can’t recycle boxes that have foodstuff on or in them, making pizza boxes with all their greasy and cheesy goodness a no-go for the recycle bin. So NC State piloted a pizza box composting program. Two bins designated for pizza leftover goodness were erected on campus last spring, and within the year more than 9,400 boxes were put in the bins—four additional bins were added in the fall to keep up.

Read more: Pizza box composting is a hit at NC State

Bonus: Dining Hall as a Classroom: A Whole-Grain Learning Experience