Taste test: Behind the scenes with USDA Foods

The USDA Foods Available List is a lot like any other menu, with dozens of healthy options for state agencies to order and distribute through USDA’s nutrition assistance programs. And every year, foods are added or removed from the list based on customer demand and market conditions. Some offerings are modified to improve nutrition content or make the product and its packaging easier to work with in the kitchen or more acceptable to kids.

The USDA Foods program is a collaboration between the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), the agency that procures the food, and the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), the agency that distributes the food. This school year, the USDA Foods team’s goal for training and conferences is to provide more opportunities to taste new and reformulated products. That way, state agencies can confidently order them and school districts can incorporate them into their menus.

The USDA Test Kitchen, in the iconic South Building in Washington, D.C., is the hub for USDA Foods product evaluation by AMS and FNS staff. Current and prospective vendors provide samples to evaluate based on taste, texture, appearance and other factors. We then decide which products are good candidates for the Foods Available List and which may need a little more tweaking to meet recipients’ needs.

At this fall’s annual meeting for USDA and state agency staff working on school meal programs, attendees had the opportunity to go “behind the scenes with USDA Foods.” This pre-conference session included background information on the contracting process, development of the Foods Available List, timelines for introducing new or improved products and how to best provide feedback. Next, the group enjoyed a hands-on tasting experience in the USDA Test Kitchen! Here, attendees sampled and evaluated seven new or recently reformulated USDA Foods products, including whole grain-rich Alaska Pollock fish sticks, high protein yogurt and pulled pork. We were grateful for the positive comments and suggestions from this interactive session.

In December, USDA took the show on the road to the School Food Focus National Gathering in Braselton, Ga. Participants tasted the recently reformulated dried fruit mix, which contains equal portions of diced dried apples, dried cherries, dried cranberries and raisins. The mix can be served plain and is also a great topping for oatmeal or yogurt. The next generation – and our actual customers – also got involved in the action as Gwinnett County Public Schools culinary students conducted a cooking demonstration using the USDA Foods unseasoned chicken strip! They prepared a delicious chicken pesto panini with fresh spinach and mozzarella cheese.

The taste testing trend continues: the School Nutrition Association (SNA) School Nutrition Industry Conference in Orlando, Fla., will feature a USDA Foods Taste Test as a bonus session on Saturday, January 21. Participants will learn about the behind-the-scenes process for USDA Foods product development and taste recipes developed by Chef Paula Kendrick, who will be incorporating USDA Foods into fun, innovative dishes such as cinnamon nachos with pear topping, pasta with broccoli and mushrooms, and spiced and roasted chickpeas! The Orange County Public Schools food truck will also be making a special appearance.

USDA will continue to seek opportunities to share the tasting experience with program stakeholders around the country. We always appreciate feedback on current USDA Foods products and your ideas for new ones! Contact us at USDAFoods@fns.usda.gov.