Veggies are definitely not Oranges, but the leading Veggie Side is an Orange colored veggie — Carrots. Carrot Side Dishes may be found on 89% of school menus. Carrots, which are a nutritionally essential Yellow-Orange vegetable, compete against more than 25 other vegetable sides of all colors. Carrot sides outshine Corn (86% incidence) and Broccoli (84%) and may claim a 20 point incidence advantage over Mixed Vegetables (65% incidence). Incidentally, carrots were not always Orange and for this we may thank 17th century Dutch growers wishing to pay homage to William of Orange. For centuries, carrots were white, yellow or purple.
According to FlavorTrak K12 Menus, an audit of 175 US school district menus, Carrots have a significant lead over other veggie sides such as Peas (50%), Celery (40%), Cucumbers (32%), Tomatoes (31%), Cauliflower (20%), Collard Greens (15%) and Spinach (14%). The table above lists 10 leading vegetables (out of 25) listed on menus as veggie side dishes.
Equally important as being listed on K-12 menus is frequency of menu listing during the month. Carrot sides are listed an average of 3.5 times on the monthly menu. Summing up all 2,658 monthly menu listings of carrots (column 4, above), gives carrots a crisp 24.4% bite of Sum of Menu Frequency. Excluded from the analysis are vegetables used in prepared entrees, pizza, salads and other menu item classes. Also omitted are potatoes, rice, grains and beans.
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