UMATILLA — The Umatilla School District’s Nutrition Team at McNary Heights Elementary School’s parent-teacher conferences the week of April 7 flipped the script on its usual monthly taste test — this time, the
tasters were parents.

Each month during lunch, the nutrition team hosts a taste test at the school, the school district reported in a press release. These events give students the chance to try new foods and help decide what might get added to the menu or salad bar. After sampling the item, students vote on whether they liked it, giving feedback on what’s popular. Students look forward to these fun taste tests and love getting a say in what goes on the menu, according to the school district.

At conferences, the team brought that same experience to families. Parents sampled one of the meals the school regularly serves to students — orange chicken and brown rice — and compared it to a similar menu item from a popular fast food chain — Panda Express’s Kids Meal orange chicken with fried rice.

Panda Express meal
Calories 610
Fat 24 g
Saturated fat 4.5 g
Cholesterol 160 mg
Sodium 980 mg
Carbs 87 g
Sugar 16 g
Protein 18 g

Umatilla School District meal
Calories 394
Fat 13.95 g
Saturated fat 3 g
Cholesterol 70 mg
Sodium 526.72 g
Carbs 46.42 g
Sugar 6.3 g
Protein 21.5 g

“We try to offer kids menus that they can find outside of school, but that are healthier,” said nutrition educator Lourdes Yparranguierre. “We have different cooking techniques to use in order to follow these rules.”

School meals must meet strict nutrition standards, including limits on added sugars, sodium and fats. The Umatilla School District uses products and recipes that are formulated for schools, meaning they contain higher amounts of essential vitamins and nutrients while also being lower in sodium, calories, sugar, and fats. This ensures meals meet all state and federal requirements and provide the most nutritious options possible for students.

For this meal, brown rice was steamed instead of fried, and the chicken was breaded with whole wheat flour and baked, making it higher in fiber and lower in fat.

Students were excited to see their parents participating in the event. Many encouraged their parents to try the food, even if they didn’t think they’d like it — repeating the same message they hear from Lourdes during their own taste tests: “Just try it. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like it — we just want you to try it.”

Of the 86 parents who sampled the school’s orange chicken and brown rice, all 86 said they liked it.