New Lunch Program Launched in Parsippany Elementary Schools

It doesn't look like crusading celebrity chef Jamie Oliver will have to share his message of serving children healthier lunches in Parsippany any time soon.  With the start of the new school year, area schools now get a new and improved lunch program from Pomptonian Food Service.

All elementary schools in the Parsippany-Troy Hills School District now have their own salad bar carts.  These carts are filled with an assorted selection of indvidually wrapped fruits and vegetables and each child who has purchased a hot lunch can choose two items.

Donna Devany, regional food service director for Pomptonian, said the program is off to a great start.  The children are selecting fruits and vegetables, she said, and there has been minimal waste.   

Devany said she's extremely pleased to see that giving the children the chance to make their own selections has resulted in the fruits and vegetables being eaten.  In past years, she explained, there has been a lot of waste because the food would shift during transport to the schools or steam from the lunch's hot component would the meal less appealing. And often, the fruit or vegetable portion would be left uneaten.

Lake Parsippany School is the pilot location for the second phase of the improved lunch service, a steamer table that allows Pomptonian servers to plate up the lunches as the children go through the lunch line.  This, according to the company, provides a fresher, better tasting lunch.

Each elementary school will be phased into this newest portion of the program over the next few months.  Initially, Devany thought that they would need a longer period between introducing it to the other schools, but she said the success of the launch at Lake Parsippany School has made it clear that they can move forward faster than anticipated.

Another benefit to serving the lunches at each school is that Pomptonian can offer more options as the program continues.  Devany said the next goal is to move to a computer system that will allow parents to put money into an account and specify if the children should be receiving vegetarian lunches or other specific menus. 

Denis Mulroony, Lake Parsippany's prinicipal, worked with Devany to allow some of the fifth graders to assist younger students with making their selections.  The helpers point out the fruits and vegetables to the younger children and make sure that they don't forget to choose something.  For their work, the students helping out earn periodic free lunches from Pomptonian.

Devany said she would welcome the opportunity to speak at PTA meetings to answer questions and get feedback from parents.  PTA pPresidents and school administrators are encouraged to contact her office to set up times for Pomptonian to be present at meetings.

Things to know about the new program:

• Each piece of fresh fruit (i.e. apples and pears) is hand-washed invidually, dried and wrapped separately.
• 100 percent juice is offered as a fruit option.
• Vegetables are pre-packaged as individual servings and a low-fat dip is available.
• More vegetarian options will be offered soon. 
• Pizza is made fresh daily at Parsippany Hills High School, and the presence of the steamer table will allow the cafeteria to offer a vegetable pizza
• Pomptonian has always prepared the hot lunch options fresh each day at either Parsippany Hills or Parsippany high schools. 
• Pomptonian welcomes feedback from parents on the program and meal suggestions, and menus include selections adapted from home recipes.

If parents wish to speak to the company regarding the new lunch program, Donna Devany or Pomptonian can be reached through the Parsippany Troy-Hills School District website.