Mundelein's Z Trim adds fiber to school lunch menus

Z Trim Holdings Inc. based in Mundelein announced it signed a contract with another school district looking to add fiber to its lunch menu.

The 35-school Irvine Unified School District in Irvine, Calif. purchases Z Trim multifunctional fiber for use in the dough for sweet rolls, cheese rolls and dinner rolls offered throughout the meal program.

"The texture is perfect," said Nutrition Services Supervisor Gail Richardson, who is required by state law to use a certain amount of whole wheat flour in the dough, which she supplements with Z Trim to provide a little additional fiber while replacing oils and achieving the right texture.

With this week's shipment of Z Trim to the Irvine schools, the research and development staff at Z Trim is working with Richardson to expand her use of Z Trim in developing a cookie recipe.

In Smyrna, Delaware, Child Nutrition Foodservice Director Pat Conley directs her staff to buy and use Z Trim in the yeast rolls. Z Trim's research and development staff is working with the food service staff of this district to review the entire meal planning menu for opportunities to introduce Z Trim ingredients in a host of applications from soups through desserts.

"I know it works in dressings and other applications," Conley said, "so I'd like to expand its use here and develop a few items that we can take to next year's statewide school nutrition conference."

In New York, Hannibal Central School District's School Lunch Manager, Debbi Richardson, is "innovating" her meal menus with Z Trim, beginning with improved nutritional profiles and textures in baked items.

"I prefer to offer baked items that contain ingredients that you might actually buy at the grocery store," said Richardson. "Z Trim is corn fiber that works as well or better than modified ingredients and gums and at the same time enables me to replace fat calories with fiber."

Using Z Trim, Richardson is creating healthier baked goods, adding fiber and removing fat in addition to improving textures in breads, pizza dough, cookies, muffins and cupcakes to name a few, as well as in the icings for the cakes and the cupcakes.

"The school nutrition professionals continue to show the world exactly why Z Trim is so relevant now," said Steve Cohen, Chief Executive Officer for Z Trim. "No other fiber ingredient delivers so much functionality in so many nutritional applications," he added. "These schools join the list of schools in Florida, Pennsylvania and the Nashville area that are using Z Trim to proactively offer wholesome nutritional innovation across the menu without sacrificing taste and texture."

Z Trim partners with the food industry in the deployment of solutions and technologies built around cutting edge dietary fibers, blends and custom emulsions. Innovation for health and wellness is built into our business model with value added components of capital, process, product and market knowledge.