Parents, have you ever been curious about what your kids are eating for lunch at school? Maybe you have a menu at home, and see that today's meal is chicken strips, mashed potatoes, egg salad sandwich, oatmeal rolls, broccoli, sunbutter and jelly sandwich, fresh fruit and veggie bar, milk.

But what's in those chicken strips? Where did they come from? Are the mashed potatoes from instant flakes, or real potatoes? Are they from Maine?

All those questions and many more will now be answered, as the Rocky Channel School System (BRES, BRHS, Southport Central, Edgecomb Eddy, and Georgetown Central School) become the first Maine schools to partner with the Nutrislice program.

Nutrislice is a website with a free app for iPhone and Android devices that allows for much more detailed menus to be uploaded. The menus will include photos, a full description of the meal, and nutrition facts, including if the food is gluten-free. Many of the foods served in the schools are made from local ingredients, and that information will also be available.

“If the haddock in the haddock chowder is from Mill Cove Lobster Pound, it will say that in the description,” Food Services Director Darlene French said. “If I get the chicken from Maine-Ly Poultry in Warren it will say so. Parents and kids will know exactly what they are eating.”

The Nutrislice program exists all over the country. According to Caroline Jones, account manager and dietitian at Nutrislice, the state of Florida is using the program in every school district.

“That's how I got started working with Nutrislice; I was working in Florida at the time, and ever since I started with the program I wanted to bring it to my hometown,” Jones said.

Jones grew up in Boothbay and attended Boothbay region schools. Her mother, Deb Jones, teaches third grade, and whenever she comes home, she makes sure the ceiling tile she painted in seventh grade is still up in the hallways outside the gym.

“This app is much more likely to capture kids attention than the pre-printed menus we've been using,” French said. “We will still use them for the first month or so as parents and students get used to the program.”

“In the absence of information, people tend to assume the worse,” Jones said. “People might see 'chicken strips' on the menu and assume they are frozen and deep-fried. Now we can show them the chicken is local, breaded with made-from-scratch whole grain, and that they are baked instead of fried.”

The app also has a feature where the foods can be rated by students. French is hopeful kids will use this feature so she can get feedback on what the kids do and don't like, so she can tailor menus that more students will enjoy.

“Getting the kids’ perspective is very important,” French said. “We do a huge amount of food from scratch here, to make sure it's healthy, but it has to taste good or it won't get eaten.”

Nutrislice is a very low-cost program, based on student populations. According to French, the paper and ink costs of printing menus are much higher than the costs of the program, so the school system will be saving money.

French and Jones are both hoping the app will catch on quickly with students and parents, and maybe the health classes in school will use it to teach about making healthy eating choices. French is planing to sit down with Mark Tess, BRES principal, and Dan Welch, BRHS principal, and teachers to talk with them about the new program. The website address is www.aos98schools.nutrislice.com. To get the app, search in the App Store on iPhones or in the Google Play store on Android devices for “Nutrislice” and download for free.