Breakfast Carts Give Morning Food Mobility

Breakfast carts are the latest trend to help increase breakfast participation in schools and give students multiple ways to access a healthy, delicious breakfast before classes start.

At Anoka-Hennepin Schools (MN), breakfast participation overall has increased 10% in the past two years, while in the secondary schools it has increased 23%. By adding new breakfast carts and allowing students to choose from the easy Breakfast 2 Go options, the district’s schools are seeing major differences in breakfast participation and student excitement. Across 12 secondary schools, breakfast participation has increased from a total of 162,780 students in 2014 to 212,583 in 2016.

Breakfast carts in Anoka-Hennepin Schools (MN) give their students easy access to morning meals.

The wide variety of breakfast cart options.

School administration and nutrition experts in schools around the country are finding students much prefer to choose quick and easy grab-and-go breakfast items, like fresh fruit, cereal bars and healthy breakfast sandwiches. Students’ mornings are busy and breakfast carts give schools the flexibility to offer students breakfast right off the bus, in school hallways or even in the classroom. Breakfast comes right to them!

Students at Aldine Independent School District in Houston (TX) were introduced to a super hero themed breakfast cart for their “Power Up with School Breakfast” program. Students were visited by a super hero, The Breakfast Man, who helped make sure each student had the opportunity to grab breakfast that morning.

Willmar Public Schools ISD 347 (MN), have also offered fantastic breakfast carts, which feature a wide variety of selections to its students, including breakfast bars, fresh fruit, assorted cereals, Pop Tarts, muffins, cinnamon rolls, string cheese, yogurt parfaits, juice, milk and water.

Participation in breakfast has increased at Willmar Schools, totaling about 474,340 meals out of the over 1.2 million meals/snacks served in the 2015-2016 school year.

This nationwide initiative to incorporate grab-and-go options through breakfast carts allows many schools to increase student breakfast participation and ensure every student has access to a healthy breakfast. A healthy start to the day means a prepared student!