Contact:
Pat McMullen – Food Service Director

THE KENT CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND ARAMARK TO HOLD GRAND OPENING OF NEW DINING CONCEPT AT LONGCOY ELEMENTARY
Cool*Caf shown to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, speed of service and meal participation

WHAT: ARAMARK Education, in a partnership with Kent City Schools, has launched Cool*Caf™, a new elementary school dining environment created as a result of comprehensive research with more than 2,500 students, parents, and teachers across the country. The new concept features nutritious menus, faster service lines, a new mascot and a fruit and vegetable bar.

WHEN: Tuesday, August 25th 2009
WHERE: Longcoy Elementary School
VISUAL: Dr. Giancola (Kent City School Superintendent) and our Longcoy
Prinicpal Mrs. Swan will join students, parents, faculty, and ARAMARK staff to offically open Cool*Caf and learn about the new, fresh and healthy menu items. New mascot, ACE, a friendly fox, and his friends, Marcus, Ana, Zack and Lucy will also be on hand to celebrate and share information about health and wellness.

Background:
Cool*Caf, which uses bright colors, animation and student-inspired themes and messaging that promotes good health, was piloted at 16 schools in Fall 2008. Some of the schools showed a 50 percent increase in fruit and vegetable consumption, a 30 percent increase in speed of service and a 10-30 percent increase in meal participation, a key factor for schools seeking to increase federal funding for their food service program.

Cool*Caf incorporates ARAMARK’s newly-designed wellness menus that exceed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and state-level nutrition guidelines by providing low and non-fat dairy options, lean protein choices, access to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, increased fiber from whole grain products, and reduced sodium.
As part of the concept research, ARAMARK determined that on average, elementary students are only allotted 23 minutes for lunch. Since limited lunch periods and long lines negatively impact meal participation, the company redesigned service lines, creating express options for students who are looking to purchase milk or access the fruit and vegetable bar. In addition, Sack Lunches, featuring hot and cold food items, are offered for students on the go.
Cool*Caf is another example of ARAMARK’s ongoing commitment to health and wellness which includes promoting and expanding the availability of breakfast; offering healthy, nutrient-dense snacks; eliminating added trans fats; reducing the use of processed foods, added fats, sugar and salt; sourcing high quality, local produce and products; and advancing employee knowledge of nutrition and health principles.

ARAMARK has provided balanced nutrition programs to school districts for more than 50 years.