FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Erik Peterson
(703) 739-3900 ext. 124
epeterson@schoolnutrition.org

Mary Hill, SNS Named President of School Nutrition Association

CHICAGO (July 18, 2007) – On the final day of the School Nutrition Association’s 61st Annual National Conference, in Chicago, Ill. over 6,000 members and participants welcomed a new president of the Association. 

Mary Hill, SNS, Executive Director of Child Nutrition Services for Jackson Public Schools in Jackson, Miss. became the 60th president of the Association. Hill, a native of Jackson, Miss., has a degree in Home Economics from the University of Southern Mississippi and is credentialed as a School Nutrition Specialist (SNS.) Prior to beginning a career in school nutrition in 1983 she taught commercial food courses to vocational/technical students. 

Hill is currently the Executive Director of the Child Nutrition Programs in Jackson, Miss., after starting as a Director for the district 24 years ago.  The districts’ 59 schools serve over 31,600 students and feed 28,500 nutritious school lunches and 12,000 school breakfasts to students each school day, as well during the summer.

As President of SNA, Hill plans to focus on membership growth; provide more member services from the Association; and continue building positive relationships with other associations to improve children’s health. Hill is also passionate about legislative issues.

Hill is active in many professional and volunteer organizations and has served in numerous leadership roles at the local, state and national levels leading up to her new position as President. Hill served on her first national association committee in 1988 and as the 1989-90 president of the Mississippi School Food Service Association. Hill succeeds Janey Thornton, PhD SNS and will serve one year as the elected president of the School Nutrition Association.

Hill was named president at the final session of the SNA conference in Chicago. The SNA Annual National Conference, July 15 – 18, 2006, featured over 6,000 school nutrition professionals and school foodservice industry members participating in over 100 workshops, the school nutrition industry’s largest exhibit hall and guest speakers including former White House Chef Walter Sheib. 

SNA (http://www.schoolnutrition.org) is a national, non-profit professional organization representing more than 55,000 members who provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students across the country.  The association and its members are dedicated to feeding children safe and nutritious meals. Founded in 1946, SNA is the only association devoted exclusively to protecting and enhancing children’s health and well being through school meals and sound nutrition education.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Erik Peterson
(703) 739-3900 ext. 124
epeterson@schoolnutrition.org

Nutritious Foods and Beverages Exhibited at ANC 2007

CHICAGO (July 17, 2007) – From freeze-dried soybean snacks and hummus dip to soy nut butter and low sodium, transfat free soup, over 365 companies displayed a wide variety of healthy food and beverage products as the largest exhibit floor in the school foodservice industry opened today at the School Nutrition Association’s 61st Annual National Conference in Chicago, Ill. With over 6,000 people in attendance at the Conference, school nutrition professionals from almost every state will sample and review the nutritious food and beverage offerings. Attendees are looking for food items as well as foodservice equipment and technology to aid in the delivery of affordable, high-quality school meals in their home school districts.

Among the healthy products exhibited, and expected to appear in lunchrooms this fall:

• Fresh, ready-to-eat, prepackaged cut fruits and vegetables, including sliced carrots and apple-grape and apple-orange mixes.
• Pizzas with whole grain crusts and low-fat cheese and toppings, including those with specially patented whole-wheat crust.
• Low fat, low sodium snack food items including freeze-dried soybeans and fruits, as well as nut and corn snack mixes.
• Whole grain and multigrain products including cereals, breads, buns and breaded chicken products designed to be baked.
• Vending machines designed to dispense balanced, nutritious school lunches that comply with federal nutrition requirements.
• Convenient, nutritious breakfast foods including a turnkey breakfast kit, whole grain cereals and cereal bars, as well as organic cereals.
• A variety of flavors of 100% juices, 100% fruit juice smoothies, 100% juice with carbonation and no-calorie, flavored and vitamin-fortified waters.
• Whole grain and soy protein tortillas and pastas.
• A number of flavored and regular milks in 1% and fat free varieties for school vending machines and the cafeteria.
• Blended, nonfat yogurt in age-appropriate 4 ounce serving sizes.
• Alternatives to peanut butter for school districts with peanut free policies including soy nut butter and sunflower seed butter. 
• Individually packaged almonds, raisins and other nuts and dried fruits.
• Soymilk made with organic soybeans – both flavored and unsweetened.

Attendees had a chance to visit “Produce Row,” an aisle of the 300,000 square foot exhibit floor dedicated to fruits and vegetables. Nearby was “Dairy Way” an aisle solely for dairy-based products. Nutrition education resources, point-of-sale software systems and programs, and kitchen and cafeteria equipment were also on display.
 
The SNA Annual National Conference, July 15-18, 2007 features over 6,000 child nutrition and school foodservice industry professionals participating in over 100 workshops, the school nutrition industry’s largest exhibit hall and guest speakers like former White House chef Walter Scheib.

SNA (http://www.schoolnutrition.org) is a national, non-profit professional organization representing more than 55,000 members who provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students across the country.  The association and its members are dedicated to feeding children safe and nutritious meals.

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