School Meal Planners Share Lunch Tray Ideas for the Fall

Earlier this summer, Alamo City served up more than just Tex-Mex; it provided inspiration and fresh recipe ideas to fuel school nutrition teams from across the country.

More than 6,000 school nutrition professionals gathered in San Antonio from July 13–15 for the School Nutrition Association’s (SNA) Annual National Conference (ANC), the largest event of its kind in the country. ANC gave attendees a firsthand look at the tools, techniques, and tastes shaping the school meals.

School meal planners filled the nation’s largest exhibit hall in school nutrition to visit nearly 360 exhibits. From the moment doors opened, attendees sampled new recipes, foods and beverages for lunch trays, previewed cutting-edge kitchen equipment to help prepare and serve meals and exchanged ideas on replicating restaurant trends to meet school nutrition guidelines.

From the exhibit floor to the education sessions, the ideas were flowing, and the future of school meals looked brighter than ever. School meal professionals left feeling inspired and ready to bring fresh ideas back to their lunchrooms for the new school year.

Highlights From The Exhibit Floor:

Scratch Cooking Solutions:
As schools move toward more fresh-prep and scratch cooking, ANC offered recipes, live cooking demos, and taste testing. Exhibitors showed off everything from training tools to high-efficiency kitchen equipment to help schools cook smarter.

New Nutrition Rule Options:
With new federal nutrition rules on the horizon, exhibitors were ready. Reduced-sugar cereals, beverages colored with fruit and veggie juices, and low-sodium spice blends were just a few of options available for review.

Expanding knowledge:
Education sessions shared tips for allergy management, hydroponic garden success and safe food service practices that support every student’s needs.

Cultural & Regional Favorites:
Attendees explored a world of flavor, from vegetable fries and Ramen bowls to Cajun chicken, local tamales, kolaches and seafood.