Schools To Serve Low-Fat, Home-Grown Menu Wednesday

Eight local school districts will cut the fat from Wednesday’s breakfast and lunch menus.

In celebration of Taste Washington Day, more than 16,000 students will find school meals with less than 30 percent of the meals’ calories from fat. Both breakfast and lunch menus will feature Washington foods like beef, fruit, eggs and dairy products.

The Lite ‘n Hearty menu, planned by the schools and the Heart Institute of Spokane, will be served statewide to recognize Washington state agriculture and its contribution to children’s meals.

Breakfast and lunch for the day will total 1,083 calories, with 24.5 percent of the calories from fat, said Catherine Abbott, supervisor of food services for Mead School District.

The purpose of Taste Washington Day is to teach students about the different products grown in the state, said Abbott.

The school districts serving the Lite ‘n Heart menu are: Central Valley, Cheney, Deer Park, East Valley, Newport, Mead, Medical Lake and West Valley.