Students Help Pick New Menu Items

Thanks to the special efforts of their classmates this summer, Littleton Public Schools students in CO will see some new breakfast and lunch items on their menus. During summer break, six Littleton students had an exclusive opportunity to join their school nutrition department at the nation’s largest K-12 food and exhibit show, School Nutrition Association’s Annual National Conference, with the mission to assist in taste-testing potential new menu items.

In pairs by grade level, the elementary, middle and high school students walked the aisles amongst 6,500 school nutrition professionals in Denver for the show. They listened to more than a dozen vendors explain products and recipes offered and then sampled options.

“We wanted to make sure we were finding foods our students enjoy as well as meeting our stringent nutritional guidelines,” said Jessica Gould, Director of Nutrition Services for Littleton Public Schools.

The students were provided with a list of foods the nutrition department was looking into, from new breakfast options and a la carte items to expanded options for plant-forward and vegan meals.

“It feels amazing but stressful to give my feedback,” said Halle Jacobson, Littleton Public Schools student.

What surprised Gould the most was the students’ willingness to explore new flavors. The district plans to hold taste tests this school year with some items the students sampled at the show, including plant-based chicken nuggets and eggroll-in-a-bowl. After the broader taste-testing feedback is collected, the district will decide which new items to order for their menus.

“I don’t think they realized how complicated making a school menu was and how many products we get to choose from when selecting menu items,” said Gould. “While they tried new items, they also said they do have their current favorite snacks.”

After visiting the exhibit hall, the students sat on a panel to discuss their experience with an audience of school nutrition professionals attending the conference. In addition to visiting exhibit show booths of food, equipment, software and services offerings, attendees went to various education sessions to share ideas, successes and challenges with other nutrition professionals preparing for the new school year.