Life Time Foundation Launches Groundbreaking Solution to Support Healthier School Meals Nationwide
Posted: July 20, 2023 in Chains
Life Time – The Healthy Way Of Life Company
CHANHASSEN, MN – Life Time Foundation, the 501(c)(3) charitable arm of Life Time (NYSE: LTH), announces its nationwide launch of a groundbreaking, complimentary digital resource, Green Onion, which is designed to help all school districts, purchasing cooperatives and food distributors analyze their K-12 food products to identify, remove and replace unhealthy ingredients and create positive, sustainable nutritional changes.
“Green Onion is one of the most practical, impactful tools for improving school food that I have seen in my 36-year career in school nutrition,” said Katie Wilson, Ph.D., Executive Director for the Urban School Food Alliance (USFA), a collaborative of the largest school districts in the United States. Committed to improving the quality of food served in schools and increasing access to healthy, delicious meals for all students, the USFA represents 4.2 million students at 6,461 schools across 18 districts, including the four largest in the nation: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami.
Green Onion offers an easy-to-use, comprehensive solution that informs school food professionals of ingredients of concern highlighted in the Ingredient Guide for Better School Food Purchasing and provides better product alternatives. The software also allows users to make more educated procurement decisions and track their progress towards the elimination of unwanted ingredients.
The Ingredient Guide for Better School Food Purchasing is a science-based resource created by school nutrition professionals in partnership with the Center for Science in the Public Interest. It provides resources for school food leaders and manufacturers who are committed to improving the overall nutritional quality and safety of food provided to students, while decreasing barriers for manufacturers interested in removing ingredients of concern from their products. The Life Time Foundation has been a part of this collaborative effort since 2020.
“We want all children to live healthier, happier lives and that starts with the food they eat,” said Megan Flynn, MPH, RD Life Time Foundation Nutrition Program Manager. “That’s why we are proud to offer Green Onion free to all school food professionals and support them in their efforts to eliminate ultra-processed foods and refine their menus for the health and wellbeing of the children they serve.”
To streamline food product data collection and ensure its accuracy, Life Time Foundation has partnered with 1WorldSync, the largest Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) which simplifies the distribution of accurate, updated and relevant product information into Green Onion. This allows Green Onion to receive real time product data directly from K-12 suppliers, ensuring reliable information is available to all school food professionals nationwide.
“Because Green Onion is conveniently accessible online, accurate and free to users, it enables every school district – regardless of size – to quickly and efficiently evaluate products in the school marketplace and immediately choose alternatives in favor of products that remove harmful ingredients. This makes it a truly unique and indispensable tool for every school nutrition program across the country,” Dr. Wilson added.
