SAMPLING HEALTHIER FOODS IT MAY BE HARD SELL TO FEED KIDS WELL.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

VALENCIA - The lunch ladies were serving up samples Thursday at Santa Clarita's main school kitchens and the message was: ``Fat is finished.''

Vendors displayed their products for taste-testing by students, staffers and parents during the Santa Clarita Valley School Food Services Agency's second vendor fair, a chance for anyone with a child to see what school meals are all about.

All were concerned with recent state legislation signed into law that limits the amount of fats allowed in snack foods and meal items. As the provider of more than 12,000 daily meals to pupils in the Saugus, Newhall, Sulphur Springs, Castaic and Acton-Agua Dulce school districts, agency officials are making sure their offerings meet the new rigid standards.

``We are discussing the changes with them, but most of our vendors are already in compliance,'' executive director Patel Matustik said. ``I'm still waiting for clarification of some issues, like if a sixth-grader who likes pizza wants to buy an extra slice, am I allowed to sell it to him?

``I don't think it (legislation) will help as much as they think it will. We understand the severity of the problem and one of our biggest concerns is nutrition education. We'd like to see nutrition included in the curriculum, but we don't see that happening until it's included in the (Standardized Testing and Reporting) testing. Teachers don't have time.''

Food services supervisor Anne Grandjean works with four nutrition advisory councils made up of a dozen pupils from various schools to keep her finger on the taste buds and desires of her clientele.

``We meet during their lunch breaks and do a variety of things,'' she said. ``They love it when we take food to them for sampling, but we also teach them how to read labels and play games, so there is some physical activity involved.''

Senate Bill 12, recently signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, limits the amount of fat allowed in snacks bought a la carte to no more than 4 grams per 100 calories with no more than 400 calories total. It also limits the amount of sugar allowed in beverages served on campus.

Now that guidelines are in place, vendors are responding by reducing the size of their offerings or looking for alternative sources of sweetness or shortening.

``The problem is that nothing with cheese will pass that law,'' said Terie Furtney of Food 4 Kids. ``And the school lunch programs use (U.S. Department of Agriculture) commodity foods, which is mostly cheese or chicken that gets breaded and deep-fried.

``Turkey sandwiches will be all right and I think they're going to serve a lot of vegetarian items. But we can only do so much. When the kids go home and their parents drive them through McDonald's, we've done all we can.''

Hard cookies will pass and the kitchen can use use lower-fat, softer cheeses, Furtney said.

``We've spent the last three or four years talking to manufacturers to meet the guidelines,'' said Russell Erwin of A and R Wholesale Distribution. ``Everything we sell meets the state guidelines except for one flavor of our baked chips: sour cream and onion. It might be a percentage point over.''

Burritos, one of the most popular items in school cafeterias, will be downsized and some of the contents changed - but not necessarily because of politicians.

``We're looking into a multigrain tortilla that will help because it's whole grain,'' Millie Riplay of J. Goodman & Associates said, standing behind a crowded display of burritos. ``We have many burritos that are only 3 1/2 ounces. We do carry a 10-ounce burrito, but come next school year, that will be a thing of the past. We've also come out with a beef and potato burrito because we hear from the schools that kids don't want eggs in the morning. They've gone over well.''

A product promoting physical education as well as nutrition is Goldfish PhysEdibles, baked animal crackers shaped with smiles and sports equipment - and no trans fats.

Thirteen-year-old Mary Gahan from Castaic Middle School sampled some of the food items, checking them off on a list.

``I liked the sherbet, the corn dogs and the cookies and juice, but I didn't like the meatballs,'' she said. She buys lunch at school off a snack cart, admitting to a penchant for baked chips and ``the really good pretzels.''

Hannah Walk, 13, said she buys lunch at school on occasion, but as she and her friends gathered to compare notes, said there were a lot of things she didn't like.

``Most everything they serve,'' her friend Athena Marenghi, 14, said, laughing.

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Elyse Yon, center, and other kids from Castaic Middle School test healthy foods that may be offered during lunchtime by the Santa Clarita Valley School Food Services Agency.

(2) Goldfish PhysEdibles, baked animal crackers, are one of the healthier foods that students may be offered at school.

David Crane/Staff Photographer