By Miao Yu, For the Camera
Sunday, February 24, 2008

CORRECTION (2/29/08): This story incorrectly stated that burritos from Phil's Fresh Foods contain 100 percent organic and locally grown ingredients. The company's ingredients are all natural, but not guaranteed to be 100 percent local or organic, a spokeswoman said.

Tyler Walton, For the Camera Bear Creek Elementary School fourth-grader Madison Oberbreckling, 9, laughs with friends while eating lunch Thursday. The Boulder Valley School District is giving new lunch options to students by beginning to offer locally produced, all-natural foods on the menu.

More students in the Boulder Valley School District will have a chance to taste all-natural, locally produced burritos starting Feb. 29.

The school district launched a pilot program in January at seven schools offering burritos produced by Phil's Fresh Foods in Boulder. The rest of the district will now be getting the bean-and-cheese burritos.

The burritos the school district previously purchased came from a national company on the East Coast, which serves more than 1,000 school districts in the country, said Linda Stoll, BVSD's food service director.

"We are always looking for ways to improve the lunch menus in the school district to provide more natural, more organic food to our students," Stoll said.

The district approached Phil's Fresh Foods, a producer of organic foods that sells more than 25,000 burritos a week in Colorado and 36 other states.

Philip Anson, founder of company, said the burritos he sells in stores such as Whole Foods contain 100 percent organic and locally grown ingredients.

"At this point, the school district can't afford all-organic ingredients," Stoll said. But, she said, with no additives or preservatives, the burritos' natural ingredients are still a positive change.

The cost of the new meal remains the same as the current lunch price. Students get the burrito, with corn chips, salsa, shredded lettuce, tomato and choice of fruit for $2.50.

Stoll said if the program is well-received, the district will look for more local providers next year.

Quinn McDonald, a fourth-grader at Bear Creek Elementary, said "healthy" is the most important characteristic of a good meal.

"If I don't think the lunch at school is healthy, I'll bring my own lunch," Quinn said.

Kelly Gilbert, a fifth-grader, said students in her social studies class have set up their own "Congress" and passed bills that would make the school better, including one on healthier school lunches.

A new salad bar will be added to the school's cafeteria after spring break.

"We'll get a more balanced diet, between the greens and the nutritious food," Kelly said. "I'm really happy this is happening."