SWEET PLUS SAVORY EQUALS SWAVORY, FISD’S LATEST KID-FRIENDLY SAMPLE PROGRAM

K-12 foodservice provider Flik Independent School Dining’s Director of Wellness Susan Cooper, MS, RD, CDN, has found that using contrasting tastes, from sweet to savory, expected to unexpected, can unlock new healthy eating habits for life.

K-12 foodservice has a built-in component that’s a little specific: Getting young diners to try something they’re not sure about. It’s a tall order — just ask anyone who’s ever fed a kid.

Flik Independent School Dining (FISD) tends to stay on the cutting edge of “getting kids to just at least try it.” One example from about a decade ago is its “slightly sneaky stealth health” program, Revved Up, which was developed in part by FISD’s Director of Wellness Susan Cooper, MS, RD, CDN, who is now the dietitian/mastermind behind Swavory, a program that leverages the contrasting flavors and often-surprising nature of healthy ingredients.

Cooper explains that aside from flavors, the true ingredient is positivity around food when it comes to this kid-tested learning opportunity for upper- and lower-school ages.

“What I think is great about the program, and trying new things, is that our wellness team is focused on positive messages about food,” Cooper says. “There’s so much [mixed messaging on food] out there these days. We’re trying to focus on food being fun, no pressure. This has been really popular and I think it’s been one of our more successful promotions.”

The Swavory program is an interactive experience where students taste one sample-size ingredient in both savory and sweet recipes and vote on which one they liked best. The star ingredient changes every month. One recent Swavory star was butternut squash, which proved to be a real hit with students as honey roasted for the sweet version and a zesty stir-fried hash for the savory.

Quinoa was featured with parmesan and basil for savory, and also as a sweet breakfast bite with maple and cinnamon.

Goat cheese can be savory, shown here, with umami-packed roasted ‘shrooms.

Another month, goat cheese was served on crostini with roasted apples (sweet), and again on crostini with roasted mushrooms (savory). Grapefruit was made sweet in a strawberry-honey smoothie and savory in a trio of grapefruit, avocado and jicama.

“From a wellness standpoint, we’ve always focused on foods that are better for us like fruit, vegetables, grains, legumes, and then funkier things added for interest,” Cooper says. “So for Swavory, we decided we’d try one item and focus on seasonality. And by picking items that are seasonal and easy to procure, we try and make this easy for our chefs, managers and staff.”

Marketing for Swavory is inspired by Japanese anime comic book-style, perfect for this age group, who definitely react in different ways about foods they like and don’t like, Cooper says.

As she interacts with students as they try new foods, Cooper sometimes uses gentle teasing and logic to help kids put it all in perspective: “I tell them, ‘You guys, what’s the worst that’s going to happen? You don’t like it? Then don’t eat it! You can go try out for sports, you go out for the school play, but you can’t try a bite of mango slaw?’” she says. “Little kids are a bit easier. Older kids are different. Some are more earnest and others think you’re a huge loser. But, everyone likes a sample. It breaks the monotony. So sometimes, after they look at you like you have three heads, they’ll try it and like it.”

Science has shown that “it’s all about exposure,” Cooper adds. “When we’re babies, we need to be exposed to different things; it’s an ancient survival instinct based on sweet, bitter, sour, poison. The good thing about Swavory — the sweet and the savory — is that it has this mindful element that allows students to experience flavor in a different way.”

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This article first appeared in Food Service Director on March 3, 2025.