Call to Action for Parents Fighting Obesity in Children; Texas-Based Company Offers New Healthier Lunchtime Options.

SAN ANTONIO -- With recent reports showing that obesity is increasingly becoming the prime cause of mortality in Americans, one local company is offering Texas school children a new healthy alternative to the standard cafeteria lunch menu.

Through a proprietary preparation method, 21st Century Foods has created breakfast sausage patties and charbroiled lunch patties that are made from 100 percent lean, white-meat chicken with the flavor, texture and appearance of pork sausage and beef hamburger patties. The Redi-Quick products, now available for the first time in Texas schools, are lower in calories, saturated fat, unsaturated fat and cholesterol, while maintaining the superior flavor and texture of the product. Additionally, the Redi-Quick patties are available to school systems at a fraction of the cost they are currently paying for sausage and hamburger patties.

"The school lunch bidding process is currently taking place in the State of Texas, and Redi-Quick products are on the ballots," said Colby Miller, Director of Food Marketing for 21st Century Foods. "This is the time that parents need to take action by calling their children's schools and encouraging them to select the Redi-Quick products, not only for the health benefits to children, but for the cost benefits to all tax payers in the state."

While nutrition and savings are key factors in determining what food products will be served in Texas schools, the students are mainly concerned with products that appeal to their taste buds. With that in mind, 21st Century Foods has hosted numerous student taste tests across the state, including districts in Lufkin, Conroe, San Antonio and Georgetown. The children's feedback has shown the Redi-Quick patties to be preferred nearly two to one when compared with the patties currently being served in the schools. As a result of the students' feedback and the additional health and budgetary benefits, some schools are now preparing a portion of their meals with 21st Century patties and have plans to soon implement the products as a mainstay on the school lunch menu.

"We are currently offering our products to schools throughout Texas," Miller said. "We encourage all parents to contact with their local school district board or school dietician immediately to ensure that Redi-Quick sausage and hamburger patties are on their children's menus."