Brand Announces the Teton Taste Buds Program and Calls on Fellow Industry Leaders to Join the Effort
(Loveland, CO) — Teton Waters Ranch , the original 100% grass-fed and finished beef company, announces the launch of the Teton Taste Buds program to give more children access to nutrient-dense foods and set an early foundation for healthy eating habits.
Childhood obesity is an epidemic, with one in five children in the United States clinically obese. Research shows obese children have an 80 percent chance of remaining obese into adulthood and an increased risk of developing chronic and life-threatening diseases like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and dementia. Teton Waters Ranch believes now is the time for food brands to act to reduce and prevent obesity in children.
The Teton Taste Buds pilot program aims to make high-quality, nutrient-dense foods available to all children by partnering with schools to upgrade offerings on their cafeteria menus. To kick off the program, Teton Waters Ranch is starting in its own backyard, adopting the Thompson School District in Loveland, CO, and upgrading the district’s commodity hot dog to a nutrient-dense, 100% grass-fed, and finished hot dog from Teton at no additional cost to the district or families.
“As a father and grandfather, myself, I’m often horrified by the ingredients in foods I see kids consuming, by the staggering statistics around childhood obesity, and even more so by the fact, too few food brands are doing anything about it,” said Jeff Tripician, Teton Waters Ranch CEO. “Teton Waters Ranch is a leader in the better-for-you food industry and the makers of delicious, nutrient-dense hot dogs kids love, so we can do something about it. But we cannot do it alone. Adopting the Thompson School District and covering the additional 12 cents per hot dog is just the beginning of getting better foods into school lunch programs. We are calling on everyone in the food and beverage industry to step up and be part of a positive change in the diet and health of America’s children.”
Thompson School District’s innovative approach to community partnerships and dedication to providing healthier options for students makes them the ideal partner to launch the Teton Waters Ranch Teton Taste Buds program.
“Our Nutrition Services department is thrilled to partner with Teton Waters Ranch on this exciting new program to further the mission of our entire team to provide nutritious, great-tasting food through the approximate 8,000 meals we serve each day,” said Lisa Kendall, Thompson School District Director of Nutrition Services. “In addition to being able to offer a superior food item with their 100% grass-fed beef hot dog, this partnership with Teton Waters Ranch fits perfectly with our model of working hard to source as much of our food as possible locally. It’s a win-win for our students and our community.”
Teton Waters Ranch announced the Teton Taste Buds program launch at Edible Institute on October 1, 2022. The brand proudly partners with Edible Communities as the primary sponsor for Edible for Kids, a new program developing accessible and engaging educational materials on food and agriculture in a bilingual format available to all. The sponsorship empowers Edible to mobilize their communities to think better, eat better and be a catalyst for change, so we are no longer facing this epidemic 20 years from now.
Tripician stated, “In order to make positive changes in the eating habits of this generation of school children, we will need businesses across the nation to help, and Teton Waters Ranch is making it easy for consumers and industry leaders to make a difference. Fellow food brands can adopt a school district in their hometown, and Teton Waters Ranch will provide 100% grass-fed hot dogs at cost for the school nutrition program. Chefs and restaurant owners can take part by putting Teton’s hot dogs on their menus, and for every Teton hot dog served at their restaurants, one hot dog will be upgraded at a school district in need. Retailers and grocers can participate by putting Teton Waters Ranch hot dogs on their shelves. For every Teton hot dog a customer purchases, a portion of proceeds will go toward upgrading hot dogs in school cafeterias across the country; as leaders, our kids deserve our very best.”
To learn more about the Teton Waters Ranch Taste Buds program, visit tetonwatersranch.com .
For more information on the partnership, please contact Michael Hausmann, Thompson School District Chief Communications Officer, at (970) 613-5011 or at michael.hausmann@tsd.org.