New York City, NY— Students in the New York City school system now have a healthier breakfast option available to them in the form of Back to the Roots cereals, reportsThe New York Times. Oakland, CA-based Back to the Roots produces cereals that are certified organic, are non-GMO and 100% sourced in the USA. Back to the Roots organic Stoneground Flakes are available in four flavors; Cocoa Clusters, Purple Corn Flakes, California Whole Wheat and Cinnamon Clusters.

“Breakfast is really important to us, and we’re trying to get our menu to where we want it to be,” said Mr. Goldstein of the school district, where all 1.1 million students are eligible for free breakfasts. “In the world we live in, though, there are so many constraints, so being able to offer Back to the Roots cereals for us is like a breath of fresh air.”

Historically, the NYC public school system has offered breakfast products made by Kellogg brand. This included Kellogg’s Kashi brand cereals Berry Blossoms and Honey Sunshine. When Kellogg discontinued these flavors, the schools decided to purchase cereals from Back to the Roots instead of replacing the Kashi products with other Kellogg’s brand. The NYC Public school system has been performing student taste tests for over three years to help them learn what kids are looking for in cereals regarding taste and texture.

“We’ve learned the hard way that we had to stop making decisions here about what kids would eat and let kids tell us what they would eat,” Mr. Goldstein said. “We don’t test anything unhealthy, but within the realm of what’s possible in terms of healthiness and cost, we let the kids decide.”

By the New York City Public School System choosing a smaller U.S. based company to supply the system with breakfast options, the hope is that more local start up companies will be looked at to replace some of the larger corporations that have long had a monopoly on certain products in the future.