Healthier Cereals Snare a Spot on New York School Menus -
By STEPHANIE STROMMARCH 1, 2017
The New York City public school system has quietly replaced breakfast cereals made by the Kellogg Company, the titan
whose name is virtually synonymous with cereal, with those from a small California upstart called Back to the Roots.
But instead of replacing them with other Kellogg cereals, the schools opted to buy Back to the Roots cereals because of their better nutritional profile
and organic ingredients, said Eric Goldstein, the chief executive of the Office of School Support Services, which oversees food operations of the city’s Department of Education.
“It’s not anywhere near perfect,” she said, “but this is a journey toward providing healthier meals that kids will like.”
Mr. Goldstein said New York City spends 90 cents to $1 on food for each school breakfast,
and has a hard time finding suppliers who can deliver products to fit that budget and at the volume needed.
The school district pays a little more for Back to the Roots cereals, but Mr. Goldstein said
that is more than offset by their popularity among students, their organic ingredients and their lower sugar content.
“In the world we live in, though, there are so many constraints, so being able
to offer Back to the Roots cereals for us is like a breath of fresh air.”
Public schools are under enormous pressure to contain costs and provide foods
that children will actually eat, factors that make it harder to offer higher-quality foods.
