Head Start Manages Food Allergies

posted 3/12/20 -- LCCAA Head Start’s central kitchen feeds hundreds of students everyday. While feeding your child at home may be challenging at times, balancing the needs of each student along with federal and state regulations is a full-time job in the kitchen.

“It does make it challenging when you’re working with menus because you spend time with the dietician making sure all the alternatives are nutritionally dense and meet requirements,” said Health and Nutrition Manager Rebecca Rodriguez.

Rodriguez said 72 children in the program right now have food restrictions of some kind. Some are medically diagnosed allergies, others are food sensitivities and others are parent preferences.

Several children have restrictions related to fluid milk. Soy milk or lactose free milk is substituted. Twenty-six students have fluid milk restrictions right now, Rodriguez said.

Some preferences are for religious or cultural reasons. For example, 30 children are listed as “no pork.” The kitchen is also currently serving three vegetarians and one vegan.

Rodriguez and her staff have worked with dietician Marge Robison and Pisanick Partners since 2015 to build nutritionally dense menus with more homemade items. Robison consults with every Head Start parent before enrollment is complete to discuss food allergies and restrictions and learn precisely what each child needs.

The regular menus are balanced and measured to meet standards of the Child and Adult Food Care Program (CAFCP) which are stricter than the National School Lunch Act that public school kitchens must comply with.

Children with food restrictions receive substitute items prepared in a separate station with dedicated dishes and utensils, Rodriguez said. Staff also work to make sure children don’t feel singled out when they need to eat something different.

“We try to get as close as we can to what’s on the menu,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve given it a lot of attention because it is so prevalent, but also to keep improving our operations.”

Rodriguez and Robison also work closely with parents to help them understand the difference between an allergy, a sensitivity and something a child just doesn’t like. They can also provide information on substitutions available in stores that will provide good nutrition.

Rodriguez and Food Service Supervisor Melinda Gray will present a short talk on how they manage allergies at the upcoming National Child and Adult Care Food Programs conference.

If you have questions about the Head Start menu or your child’s nutrition, your family service worker can connect you with kitchen staff.