Healthy Food, Healthy Schools

James Robinson and Chantal Healey

IDEO and Acumen FundHCD Workshop 2016

Four factors impact the ability of students in low income areas to find healthy lunch options:

Awareness Access Affordability Time

Four factors impact the ability of students in low income areas to find healthy lunch options:

Awareness Students interviewed were not aware of healthy food options outside of what was available in the school cafeteria.

Parents were also not aware of what food options were available in school.

Students complained about the quality of food options most often available to them.

Four factors impact the ability of students in low income areas to find healthy lunch options:

Access Students interviewed either bring lunch from home, or purchase it from vending machines or the school cafeteria.

A small group of vendors provide food preparation at area schools, which reduces competition to provide alternative food options.

Older students were permitted to go off school grounds at lunch time to purchase a meal, which might include fast food or processed food at nearby convenience stores.

Four factors impact the ability of students in low income areas to find healthy lunch options:

Affordability Students and teachers interviewed said that they look for low cost lunch options.

School lunch program administrators indicated that only about 90 cents is allocated per meal for each student, resulting in fewer healthy food options, which cost more to purchase and prepare.

Four factors impact the ability of students in low income areas to find healthy lunch options:

Time Students interviewed told us that they often have too little time for lunch, only about 42 minutes.

They said they are often rushed to make food choices and may select processed foods that can be prepared and eaten quickly.

How can we increase the healthy food options available to students in low income areas?

Solution:

CREATE Awareness PROVIDE Access MAKE it Affordable EXTEND lunch Time

The SAIC team prepared to prototype our solution using the HCD templates provided

We created a prototype of a website that would connect students, teachers, administrators, parents, food preparation companies and Farmer’s Markets around the issue of providing healthy school lunches.

How can we increase the healthy food options available to students in low income areas?

CREATE Awareness Utilize social media to create awareness about school food options

Create a media campaign using the #schoolfoodfail linked to a website that connects users to resources

Students take pictures of their lunch options and utilize the hashtag to share with other students, parents, administrators, PTA and food preparation companies to demand healthy food options

How can we increase the healthy food options available to students in low income areas?

PROVIDE Access Collaborate with schools, food preparation companies, grocers and Farmer’s Markets to supply healthy foods at a lower cost for school lunch programs.

Resources to help connect schools, food preparation companies, grocers and farmer’s markets will be available on the website.

How can we increase the healthy food options available to students in low income areas?

MAKE it Affordable

Create sustainable revenue streams to help subsidize healthy food options for students.

Utilize food preparation facilities at schools and food donated by grocers to make pre-packaged healthy meals for sale on food trucks in business areas or through online food vendors at a mark up.

The revenue from these sales will be used to provide reduced cost healthy food options at schools.

How can we increase the healthy food options available to students in low income areas?

EXTEND lunch Time Integrate learning and lunch.

Each month or quarter, students would participate in food preparation in the cafeteria and learn about healthy food options. They would then eat the food they prepared over the lunch period.

They would also learn about the business model that helps to subsidize the cost of the school lunch program.

What was the feedback to these ideas when we interviewed the stakeholders?

Pros Like the awareness campaign #SchoolLunchFail, but should also have one called #Bestlunchever to promote successes & improvements

Consider joining forces with other food education programs such as Purple Asparagus and Pilot Light. These organizations teach food education in 18 Chicago Public Schools.

Whole Foods does already donate food before it spoils to food pantry’s and the idea of delivering food to schools is a good one.

If the schools show up at the farmer’s markets with buckets, farmers markets will donate food at the end of sale.

What was the feedback to these ideas when we interviewed the stakeholders?

Cons Food Truck market is heavily saturated in Chicago and there are significant regulations that may make the development of this social enterprise to improve school lunches difficult.

Donating foods from Farmers Markets is expensive as there is no tax deduction on food donation

Farmer’s Markets hold food as long as possible so it may be difficult to donate because food is closer to spoiling when donated.

How will the concept and website need to be modified in the future based on feedback?

Modifications Explore alternatives to food truck sales to help subsidize school lunches - look at potential partnership with online food delivery companies that could sell healthy lunches prepared at schools with fewer regulatory issues

Consider partnerships with food pantries to help minimize barriers to food donation and distribution

Consider partnerships with established food education programs to pilot them in more schools and connect them with the other program elements offered through the Healthy Food, Healthy Schools website

Develop partnerships between specific Farmer’s Markets and area schools to pick up food that is available for donation