Autumn is one of the best times of the year. The leaves begin to change to brilliant shades of reds, oranges, yellows, and deep purples. We trade our muggy summer heat for crisp and cool weather. We put our bathing suits away and replace them with warm socks, cozy sweaters, and boots. We begin to see pumpkins everywhere as well as pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING!
What's not to love about fall? Even a chore like raking the leaves ends in fun - you get to jump in (or watch your kids do it)! With fall being here now, it's also time to jump into fall merchandising at your store. I'm sure you've got the Halloween treats and the Candy Corn out, but don't forget about the inside of your food display cases. Give your deli meats, pasta salads, and potato salads some autumn love too! Here are some creative ways to give your food display cases a touch of fall: 1. Add some pumpkins or gourds to the shelves. 2. Make your food pop with red, yellow, orange, or gold dishes. Possibly throw in some leaf shaped dishes as well. 3. Try using solid or patterned fall fabrics. 4. Spice up the area with some seasonal flowers. 5. Organize loose products or add-ons in wicker baskets or wooden barrels. 6. Decorate with some strings of leaves. 7. Place some tree branches, pine cones, or acorns around the food. 8. Accent with some small lanterns, wheels, or wagons. 9. Add in some jugs of apple cider or bottles of hard cider. 10. If you are using name cards in front of your various foods, try using a fall font or a chalkboard look. Remember, it is all about stimulating the desire to purchase. Make your displays attractive and enticing using shapes, colors, textures, props and most importantly, creativity.
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It is that time of year once again – back to school! Along with those new backpacks, clothes, pencils, folders, and notebooks, let’s all try a healthy food approach to help our children stay focused and succeed this school year – and for all the years to come.
Our eating habits begin when we are young, when our food choices are made for us. It is a parents’ responsibility, as well as our education system, to not only provide healthy foods but to educate our children about the importance of those healthy food choices. Between the years 1980 and 2000, the rate of obesity doubled in American adults. Now, 30% of adults in America are obese and this number is rising dramatically. Obesity rates have now doubled in children and tripled in adolescents. This increases the number of years that these children are susceptible to the incredibly dangerous health risks of obesity. 61% of overweight 5-10 year olds already have 1 risk factor for heart disease and 26% have 2 or more risk factors. Heart disease is the number one killer in America with cancer not far behind. We, as a society, have the power to change this. These numbers are not that surprising based on the amount of processed foods sold in our grocery stores and the fruit and veggie deficiencies that the majority of Americans have. Only about 25% of US adults eat the recommended 5 or more servings of fruits and veggies each day and more than 50% of American adults do not get the recommended amount of exercise that contributes to health benefits.[1] Based off these statistics, how would a child know or care about the importance of healthy eating? With McDonald’s daily customer traffic being over 62 million, where is the concern for non-processed, nutritious meals? For some other shocking statistics about McDonalds, visit http://read.bi/1gEDjHE. Our grocery stores are filled with processed foods that are high in fat, sodium, calories, and are very low in vitamins and fiber. These foods certainly contribute to the shocking obesity rates, as well as the high numbers of heart disease in America. It is time that we take control of our eating habits, especially for the sake of our children and grandchildren’s lives. Schools are beginning to implement some great programs that encourage healthy eating and are doing a better job in teaching the importance of it. For example, Betti Wiggins, the Executive Director of the Office of School Nutrition in Detroit started something amazing for the students of the Detroit Public Schools. She has worked in many different school systems across the United States and her passion was to serve hungry school kids. She quickly became aware of how unhealthy the food she was serving really was and wanted to see less processed and high fat foods in her school systems. She also understood the importance of buying local produce, not only for their health benefits, but to also help the local economy in need. Betti started The Detroit School Garden Collaborative – A Farm 2 School Initiative. It is sponsored by the Detroit Public School’s Office of School Nutrition and the Office of Science. Now, over 47 school sites in Detroit participate in this amazing and innovative program. Each school site features 6 raised garden beds- 3 for zucchini, yellow squash, and cherry tomatoes which are served to students in the “DPS Stop Light Salad” and the remaining 3 beds are filled with fruits and veggies chosen by the school. This program offers countless benefits to the students. It gives them sustainable access to fresh produce and increases the children’s understanding of the importance of fresh fruits and veggies in their diets. It makes the children ambassadors of healthy eating so they can share this information with their families, plus it provides an on-site learning area focused on nutrition education and teaches them how to grow their own food. To find out more about this incredible program, visit http://bit.ly/WDsm58. This is just one of many innovative programs created to help educate our children and point them towards a healthier future. Many other cities and school systems across our country are trying to get on board with similar programs. The Growing Goods Project in Muskegon, Michigan is a collaborative effort put together by the Muskegon County Public Health department. It aims to engage youth within community gardens and civic actions that teaches healthy living. To find out more about this worthwhile program, visit http://bit.ly/1AusSQr. It is refreshing to know that there are important changes happening within our schools and that our children’s eating choices and habits are moving in a positive and healthy direction. If we all were to focus on living a healthier lifestyle, through nutritious healthy food choices and proper exercise, we could help shape the lives of generations to come. Let’s all help stop America’s obesity rate climb one child at a time. [1] http://www.cdc.gov/PDF/Facts_About_Obesity_in_the_United_States.pdf |
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WHAT WE DOWe create high performance, self-contained and remote refrigerated display cases for excellence in food staging. Archives
January 2015
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