MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Minnesota-based Schwan’s Food Service, Inc., has been feeding America’s children at school for 36 years and is a leader in the $9.5 billion school foodservice industry, holding a 70 percent market share in the pizza category. This fall, the company has announced a 50 percent expansion in its already extensive product line, the result of a major product development investment by the company. Its new LiveSmart Schools™ product portfolio is a line of more than 50 offerings that meet the proposed USDA School Meal Rules, as well as the HealthierUS School Challenge (HUSSC) guidelines. No other company has developed this range of options for schools that are looking for solutions with 51 percent whole grains, less than 35 percent of calories from fat, no more than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fats and less than 600 mg of sodium. “We’re passionate about feeding children better,” said Jim Clough, president of Schwan’s Food Service, “and we believe there is a strong connection between good nutrition and success in the classroom and in after-school activities.”
The new nutrition-focused portfolio is the largest product expansion in the company’s history and reflects its support of national efforts to improve child nutrition at school. “We can make a meaningful difference with these products,” said Clough, who stated that millions of slices of the company’s Tony’s® and Big Daddy’s® pizzas are served every year in approximately 75 percent of the nation’s more than 96,000 K-12 schools. “Pizza continues to be the choice of students for school lunch, and we’ve created great tasting products that provide the nutrition that kids need.”
Included in the new product portfolio are reformulations of several of the company’s most popular school pizzas, a variety of its newly developed Big Daddy’s™ brand flatbread sandwiches and several new breakfast selections. In addition, the company’s Asian-inspired Minh® brand offers several new nutrition-focused stir-fry selections. All of these products follow the newly proposed USDA School Meal Rules.
Schwan’s Food Service is proud of its child nutrition initiative. “Over the past twelve years, we’ve taken a leadership role in the industry by making measurable changes in our products to improve their nutritional values,” said Clough. In 1999, the company introduced Tony’s® SmartPizza® products for mainline school lunches, setting a nutritional benchmark in the category by using protein in the crust, enabling the reduction of total fat and sodium. In 2005, the company began developing whole grain pizza crusts, introducing them over the next four years, and in 2006, it launched the first of its 51 percent whole grain school pizzas. Along the way, internal company standards were established specific to sodium and fat levels. Last year, in 2010, Schwan’s Food Service announced that it would double the number of its 51 percent whole grain crust school pizzas by the fall of 2011, while reducing the sodium content of these same products by up to 10 percent. Working with a consortium of ingredient providers over the past several years, the company created its current breakthrough recipe for its 51 percent whole grain crust – passing taste tests with children across the country. The announcement this fall of its LiveSmart Schools™ product portfolio significantly exceeds earlier stated objectives.
And the work continues. “We believe there is much more we can do in terms of product development and industry leadership practices to support the work of schools across the country,” said Clough. “Our goal is to provide highly nutritious, great tasting foods to kids at school so that they have the energy they need to succeed today and lead tomorrow.”
Schwan’s Food Service, Inc., a subsidiary of Minnesota-based The Schwan Food Company, offers value-added frozen foods to foodservice operators through more than 1,800 active distributors. Customers include chain restaurants, public and private schools, colleges and universities, healthcare facilities and convenience stores. The company markets leading brands such as Tony’s®, Freschetta® and Big Daddy’s® pizza and Minh® Asian-style products. For more information, contact Schwan’s Food Service at 1-877-302-7426 or visit http://www.schwansfoodservice.com.
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