Preferred Meals announces a new Food Allergy Meal System for breakfast and lunch meals that is available for the first time this 2016-2017 academic year.
These unique, kid-friendly foods are free of gluten and the top 8 allergens: milk, eggs, fish, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree nuts and wheat.
Creating healthy, delicious and safe meals for students with food allergies can be a challenge for school districts. As the number of children with food allergies grows, it’s critical that schools have resources in place to accommodate these students with special meal needs.
Preferred Meals is one of the country's largest, innovative suppliers, of healthy, well-balanced meals to public and private school districts, charter schools, senior citizen facilities and airlines.
“According to the 2013 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, food, allergies among children increased 50% from 1997 to 2011,” Silvio Herrera, Product Manager said.
“The Preferred Meals Food Allergy Meal System is a safe and easily implementable solution for school districts that may not have the on-location staff expertise to deal with serious and potentially harmful meal preparation for students with food allergies,” he added.
The Preferred Meals Food Allergy Meal System follows a five-day menu cycle, packed in a four-cycle case. Every meal contains a variety of delicious items students will enjoy eating, including such brand-name products as Amy’s Macaroni & Cheese and Kellogg’s Rice Krispies.
Preferred Meals brings convenience and quality to the food allergy meal planning process. Full program details—including nutrition facts, ingredients and safe serving and handling instructions—are available in our information packet for school administration, foodservice staff and parents.
Ingredients of the items in this Food Allergy Meal System are free of gluten and the top 8 allergens but may be prepared in a facility that contains wheat, gluten, soy, dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish or shellfish or processed on equipment that once processed wheat, soy, dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish or shellfish.
The meals are designed to follow the components of the USDA school meal program. In order to claim the meal for reimbursement, a physician statement with menu approval must be on file for each student.