Dr. Kracker

Doctor Kracker Snacker Krackers - Review #1 (Vegan, Soy-Free) (PNG)

The following was originally printed in the April 24, 2007 edition of The Washington Post:

EAT BETTER HEALTHFUL HABITS

More students make smart choices — if they are asked
A report suggests kids will consume more fruit if cafeteria workers suggest it.

Sally Squires
The Washington Post

April 24, 2007

You know how hard it can be to say no.

But our tendency to accept what we’re offered may have positive value when it comes to encouraging children to choose — and eat — more-healthful food at school. A new report suggests that there’s a simple, low-cost approach: Just offer it to them.

That’s the conclusion of a pilot program in Guilford, Conn., where school cafeteria servers were trained to ask elementary-school students, “Would you like fruit or juice with your lunch?” Ninety percent of the children said yes. What’s more, 80 percent then consumed the fruit or juice they put on their trays.

Compare those numbers with students at a nearby school who also participated in the study. At lunch, the same fruit and juice was available, but it wasn’t personally offered to the kids. The difference? Just 60 percent of these students reached for fruit or juice on their own.

These findings “have pretty significant implications,” says the pilot program’s designer, Marlene Schwartz, director of research and school programs at Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. They suggest, she says, that if the National School Lunch Program were to modify its regulations and had servers actually encourage children to eat fruit and vegetables, their consumption might increase.

It’s that kind of simple strategy that school administrators, government officials and parents need to help stem the childhood obesity epidemic. An estimated 16 percent of children and teens are overweight or obese, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Each year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture pays for 9 million breakfasts and 30 million lunches for students. But experts say the quality of some of those meals is in question. School cafeterias aren’t required, for example, to serve food that meets the 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines — a situation that the USDA says it hopes to change this year. The USDA also plans a multibillion-dollar effort to expand the consumption of fruit and vegetables served in school cafeterias through the next 10 years.

But none of those changes addresses what many say is a major hurdle to improving school nutrition: the sale of so-called competitive foods in school vending machines, stores and snack bars, and at school fundraisers and sold a la carte in school snack bars. There are no USDA regulations dictating the quality of these foods and beverages.

To help close that loophole, Congress has commissioned the Institute of Medicine to write the first set of recommended guidelines for the sale of competitive foods in schools. That report, from an expert panel, will be released soon.

Some schools haven’t waited.

At the Promise Academy in New York’s Harlem, the school’s nearly 700 students, mostly low-income, dine daily on meals that are low in sodium and fat. Breakfast offerings include hot whole-grain cereal, whole-wheat waffles or French toast with turkey sausage. Rather than syrup, students get fruit toppings.

Lunch includes healthful fare such as whole-grain pasta with meat sauce and baked free-range chicken with yellow rice and zucchini. For snacks, students get fruit, vegetables and other healthful offerings, because “there are no vending machines in the building,” says Marty Lipp, communications director of this public charter school. “There’s also no cake, ice cream or cookies and no outside foods are allowed in.”

As might be expected, “there certainly are kids who complain about this or that, or won’t eat certain things,” Lipp says. “But it is an educational process. Some kids are seeing foods for the first time, like spinach pasta or even things like broccoli.”

Promise Academy officials point out that helping students and their families improve their eating habits is a matter of health: 42 percent of the 176 middle school students — more than three times the national average — are overweight or obese.

In California, chef Ann Cooper is director of nutrition services for the 16 schools in the Berkeley Unified School District. “We don’t serve food that is very out of the ordinary,” Cooper notes. “We just do it healthier.”

So roast chicken or “oven fried” chicken that contains no added fat has replaced greasy chicken fingers; baked and roasted potatoes are served in place of french fries. There are organic granola bars, fresh and dried fruit, whole-grain pretzels and organic crackers with occasional cheese for snacks.

“Kids don’t necessarily like change,” Cooper notes. “Nobody does. So you really have to work with them.”

And she notes, “The food has to taste good.”

Washington Examiner and Baltimore Examiner (Wednesday, March 21, 2007) SHELF LIFE: Delectable finds for foodies

Trick kids into eating healthfully. Dr. Kracker’s Veggie Spelt Krackers are made with flax and quinoa seeds, organic vegetables (tomatoes, peas, corn and carrots). Organic butter and agave nectar syrup give the toddler crackers a slightly sweet taste. Available at select health food grocers.

Good Housekeeping (Jan 2007) easy ways to get your grains

Dr. Kracker is very gratified to be recognized with these other great companies for our efforts to create foods that are both delicious and good for you!

From GourmetRetailer.com’s 2006 Editor’s Choice Awards (PNG):

Doctor Kracker Single-Serving Organic Snack Chips

We’ve become a nation of overweight and portion-challenged consumers. It seems those potato chip guys got it right when they said once you start, you can’t stop — before you know it, you’ve packed away hundreds of calories. To address that problem, Doctor Kracker has added 1-ounce, 100-calorie serving Snack Chips to its popular line of organic, whole grain Snackers and Flatbread Crackers. So are these all they’re cracked up to be? I certainly think so. Super-crispy and chock full of nutty goodness, they are the perfect snack solution when you don’t want to reach for a bag of greasy chips or when ho-hum pretzels just won’t do. Not only did they taste great alone, but dipped in hummus or topped with cheese and a sliver of green apple, they passed this picky snacker’s scrutiny with flying colors. My favorites among the different varieties were Sunflower Cheese Kracker (cheddar cheese drizzled over sunflower seeds) and Seedlander Krackers (pumpkin seeds, whole millet grains and poppy seeds). Dr. Kracker snacks are baked with whole grains and whole seeds, without added fats, trans fats or oils. Plus, they are 100 percent natural, USDA certified organic and they carry the new 100% Whole Grain stamp. Check out Dr. Kracker’s other tasty offerings at www.drkracker.com.

Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery (Nov 2006) Committed Snackervationists

There is no need to add commentary to this article. I can, however, update on our 1-oz packages.  We have found distribution for them on the West Coast, and we are reaching out to the convenience stores at the colleges and universities. We are also changing the size of the bag, reducing the amount of film and waste.  We have also changed the size of the “chip” itself.  Smaller and thinner means even more of the Uber Crunch experience.

I am also happy to announce that our Snack Flats—-1/2 ounce, single serve flatbreads—are finding their way into eateries. My goal is all the salad bars and soup stations of the US and Canada, but for now I am delighted that  Peoples Pharmacy of Austin has been replacing the saltines at their soup and salad station with Dr. kracker.  Peoples is all about offering the best in good-for-you foods, and they have long supported local ranches who pioneered grass fed beef. Kudos to Peoples!

El Paso Times (Sep 27, 2006)

 This was a solid review of our newest Dr. Kracker offerings.  A few things have changed since this article was published. We have found savings in the bakery and been able to reduce the suggested retail price of both the Veggie Spelt and the Krispy Grahams to $4.99, and we have reduced the “fill” of the 1-ounce bags so that they can retail for $.99.  Crunch!

Sep+Oct 2006 Issue

Prevention (August 2006) Low-carb crackers

We are thinking if taking an additional title.  Not just Dr. Kracker, but now King of Spelt as well! Spelt is difficult to bake with, but it is perfect for flatbread. Dr. Kracker is one of the few bakeries that bakes with whole grain spelt flour.  Check out my blog on the history of this ancient wheat that almost disappeared from modern agriculture. All good things return if we wait long enough, and the return of hierloom foods has been one of the most pleasant phenomenon of the last 10 years.  Special thanks to the Slow Food Movement for all their work on food issues and hierloom foods in particular.

Not Your Ordinary Cracker