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As a food service specialist she makes sure that schools offer healthy meals for students and follows federal and state health and nutrition regulations.
Christine Baer is the food coordinator for the school system food services department.
She sets school lunch menus and orders food for school lunches across the Frederick County Public Schools system.
The Gazette recently asked Morris and Baer to answer a few questions about the most appropriate and healthy meals for young people.
One of the biggest challenges for school food services today is providing students with food that is nutritious, but at the same time appealing to students. How has the school system been solving that challenge in the last few years?
Morris/Baer: FCPS Food Service offers nutritious menus that meet all U.S. Department of Agriculture requirements of offering no more than 30 percent total fat and 10 percent saturated fat on a weekly average to the students.
FCPS Food Service does not offer to the students any deep-fried menu items and only baked items are offered as ala carte snack items.
The biggest challenge for Food Service is to offer items that are not only nutritious but the students will take; the food is only nutritious if the students eat the food.
Can you give examples of some of the foods that the school system offers that are both healthy and popular among students?
Morris/Baer: Some of the students favorite choices are chicken nuggets, chicken patties, popcorn chicken, shrimp poppers and tacos, to mention a few. FCPS offers students fresh-baked pizza with low-fat mozzarella cheese.
How does the 12-14 age group compare to other students in the system, in terms of food and nutrition? How does the school system work around that?
Morris/Baer: Secondary students are offered additional entrees as a choice at various times. Students that are 12-14 age groups are at a place in their lives where they display their individual opinions and choices; as stated earlier, a student must eat the food for the food to be nutritious.
For the 12-14 age group, what are the best types of foods and meals? Why? What does that age group need most in their food – proteins, carbohydrates or fats?
Morris/Baer: Students in the 12-14 age groups prefer to eat foods that could be considered social and portable. The students want to share their foods with their friends and they want to be able to move around and not have to stay in the same place for long.
They need proteins to develop muscles, carbohydrates to help supply energy and a limited amount of fat.
Can you give examples of nutritious meals that parents can make for preteens at home?
Morris/Baer: Parents may offer a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables with their meals, which is more beneficial because you do not have the processing, which adds preservatives. Offer less fried foods and more baked or broiled.