(FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP) – New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher today marked National School Lunch Week with a visit to Sampson G. Smith Middle School in Somerset County to learn about the school’s and Franklin Township School District’s student meal program.

USDA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Pat Dombroski joined Secretary Fisher and school officials at the event. The day included Secretary Fisher serving lunch as well as those in attendance taste testing some items on today’s lunch menu. Those items included Jersey Fresh tomatoes, peppers and baby bok choy, along with chicken tenderloins and patties, vegetable pizza, and tuna, vegetable and grilled chicken salads.

“Sampson G. Smith Middle School and the Franklin Township School District is doing a tremendous job of offering healthy choices on its menus,” Secretary Fisher said. “This encourages students to make the right decisions on what they will eat, creating a foundation for good dietary habits that can last a lifetime.”

The district participates in the Department of Defense Direct Delivery, which brings fresh produce into Franklin Township schools. The school also purchases food from New Jersey farmers, including Circle M Farms in Salem County and Sheppard Farms in Cumberland County.

“We offer our students the opportunity to make good choices about what they eat by presenting a wide range of healthy choices for lunch,” Franklin Township Food Service Director Margaret DeBlasi, RD, SNS, said. “Establishing healthy eating habits at an early age is important.”

New Jersey schools follow the nutrition standards set forth by the USDA, which incorporates a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat and fat-free milk options, with limitations on saturated fats, trans-fats, sodium, and calories.

“The National School Lunch Program has been feeding America’s children for more than 70 years,” Dombroski said. “School meals play a crucial role in providing the nutritional foundation children need to succeed in the classroom. The USDA is committed to helping our children build bright futures with good nutrition.”

National School Lunch Week was created by the School Nutrition Association to encourage participation in the National School Lunch Program and recognize the school districts providing healthy meals every day.  The New Jersey Department of Agriculture administers the program in the Garden State.

To learn more about the state’s school lunch program, visit www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/fn/childadult/school.html.

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