Promote Performance with Featured Meals and Sample Plates

Highlighting performance-focused Green menu items at each serving line as a “featured meal” or “sample plate” is a great way to promote nutrient-dense meals. It also helps satisfy the Go for Green® (G4G) requirements for Program Requirement 6: Promotion of Green-coded Foods and Program Requirement 7: Marketing and Education. Beyond placing food where service members can easily find it, such as first in the serving line, actively promoting featured meals through signage is an important marketing tool to direct diners’ attention towards healthier options. Sample plates provide diners with examples of which menu options are to choose in order to build a well-rounded, nutritious plate from that serving line. Assemble both featured meals and sample plates using primarily Green menu items and build them according to military nutrition guidance.

How your diners fill their plate should also match their training. Use the Build Your Plate for Performance visual, to promote service members loading their plate to best fuel their easy, moderate, or hard training days. You can help guide diners on how to fuel for different types of training days. 

Below are tips for your facility to better display and promote Green foods across all serving lines and grab-and-go stations:

Featured Meals

Featured meals are an easy and inexpensive way to highlight Green meals at the serving stations in your dining facility. Displaying a featured meal helps make the healthy choice the easy choice as diners navigate the numerous offerings at each mealtime. You can also highlight featured items like a fresh recipe, new entree, or tasty side.  

• Choose a variety of mostly Green menu components from the options available at the hotline or specialty bar to provide diners an example of how to build their plate for performance. 
• Use the G4G template to create a sign that lists the menu items or ingredients for diners to assemble the meal themselves, especially for bowls made at the salad or specialty bar. 
  • Include the G4G color and sodium code.
  • If able, include a visually appealing picture to nudge the diners towards making these nutritious choices.
• If feasible, promote new Green menu items or the featured meals on social media accounts to engage with diners outside of the facilities and draw them in. 
  • Show diners how they can use G4G to easily build a healthy plate in your DFAC or galley. 
  • Food photos are often popular on social media.

Sample Plates

In addition to representing high-performance menu offerings of the meal, sample plates should be presented in a very appealing manner. 

• Ensure side dishes complement the meal in flavor and color. The more colorful the plate, the more eye-catching the plate will be for diners! 
• Garnish the plates with edible, fresh herbs (such as cilantro, parsley), fruit (lemon wedge, cut fruit), and vegetables that help enhance the flavor of the meal.
• Play with the height and dynamics of foods on the plates–position different portions on the plate at varying heights if possible.
  • For example, place vegetables below the lean protein on the plates or balance your protein on top of your starch, such as a chicken-and-veggie stir-fry atop a pile of rice or noodles.
• Use point-of-purchase displays at the checkout counters to display Green snacks and grab-and-go options.
  • For example, display fruit or nutrient-dense pre-made sandwiches next to the checkout counter.