(NPB’s Markita Lewis with partners at ANC booth)
By Markita Lewis, MS, RD
The National Peanut Board (NPB) is on a mission to show K-12 school districts how they can serve peanuts safely, and what’s missing from their menus when peanuts aren’t on the menu. There was no better place to do that than School Nutrition Association’s Annual National Conference (SNA ANC) held July 13-15th in San Antonio, TX. This conference brought together over 6,000 school nutrition program operators, industry partners, and allied organizations to collectively transform K-12 school nutrition operations through education and innovation.
Partnership between NPB and The Peanut Institute brought NPB Marketing and Communications Manager Markita Lewis, MS, RD, along with TPI’s Miriam Crosby, Kirstin Collins from the American Peanut Shellers Association, and NPB consultant Angela Gomez from Alhambra Elementary School District (AZ) to the meeting.
Ahead of the conference, NPB, TPI and Smuckers co-hosted a pre-conference networking event for school nutrition directors overlooking the San Antonio skyline. This event brought school nutrition leaders together from across the country and sparked conversations about what was possible with peanuts, including recent innovations in the Uncrustables™ line.
The excitement didn’t stop there. On the first official day of the conference, NPB was a part of two educational sessions on the ANC program. Markita Lewis moderated a morning session and panel titled Navigating Food Allergies in the School Environment, which focused on the importance of communication creating food allergy management plans. The panel featured Alex Hallmark (Director of Child Nutrition, DeSoto County MS Schools), Victoria Ladd (S.C. State School Nurse Consultant), Wesley Johnson (Attorney), and Emily Brown (CEO of Attane Health, parent advocate). The Q&A for the panel members was lively, informative and well-attended.
In the afternoon, Angela Gomez alongside Chef Aaron Smith and Chef Eva Yablonsky Smith from Seattle Public Schools showed hundreds of attendees how they could Power Up With School Breakfast using peanut-forward dishes that meet the updated USDA guidelines in a live cooking demo. The trio shared considerations for nutrition (including reducing added sugars and sodium), allergen management, and helpful cooking tips. One dish, the Savory Avocado Toast with Peanut Salsa Macha, was later featured during the exhibit hall’s directors-only hours.
During the final days of the conference, hundreds of attendees stopped by the NPB and TPI booth to learn about peanut nutrition, allergen management, and to share their stories about peanuts on their menus. The “Something’s Missing” campaign was highlighted at the booth and drew the curiosity of many to consider adding peanuts in different ways.
Overall, ANC was a successful venture for peanuts, and we look forward to attending next year’s conference in Charlotte, NC.