North Dakota Foodservice for Children Thinks Rice

ARLINGTON, VA -- Last week, USA Rice participated in two virtual training sessions for foodservice officials conducted by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) Child Nutrition and Food Distribution (CNFD).  Cameron Jacobs, USA Rice director of domestic promotion, attended both events, sharing information about U.S.-grown rice and how it is a perfect fit for state foodservice centers that feed between 15-300 children each day.

The training sessions were focused on menu-planning, cost control, farm-to-table programming, and purchasing, and were conducted with assistance through a Team Nutrition Child & Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Training Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“We appreciate NDDPI for giving us the opportunity to talk to foodservice workers on the front line in a state where we traditionally don’t do much promotional programming,” said Jacobs.  “This information is crucial in educating and developing behavior patterns at the ground-level.”

Chef Brenda Wattles, a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) who specializes in child nutrition, was the main host and presented out of her test kitchen.  For each one-hour session, Wattles demonstrated cooking techniques and discussed tips for menu planning and meal preparation, and ways to implement farm-to-table programs.  Specific to rice, Wattles talked about CACFP grain requirements and showed step-by-step rice cooking best practices using different methods including rice cooker, stovetop, and hotel or steam pan.

“The benefits of U.S.-grown rice – versatility, price-point, and shelf life – tied directly back to session themes,” said Jacobs.  “And, just as important, I emphasized that domestic rice is a local agriculture product and that for them to think of USA Rice as the ultimate resource for all things rice.”

USA Rice also provided two Aroma Housewares rice cookers as door prizes for each session.

“It was great to have USA Rice join our virtual training sessions,” said Amy Nelson, RD, a child nutrition specialist for NDDPi.  “Our attendees will certainly be thinking about rice a lot differently going forward.”