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Teaming up to Enhance Scratch-Made Menus for WA Students

The Ellensburg School District, located in central Washington, is revamping school meals for its 3,300 students across six schools. Working to transform offerings with more scratch-made recipes, vegetarian options and locally sourced meats and produce, the team is now led by a dietitian and chef partnering to develop meals that are nutritious and flavorful.

Together, they have successfully introduced popular dishes such as miso-ginger ramen with tofu or beef, scratch-made Alfredo pasta, vegetarian enchiladas and build-your-own bowls.

Lunchtime celebrations add special experience for students

Across the country, school nutrition teams find creative ways to bring joy and connection to their cafeterias, going beyond simply serving healthy meals. Two districts in the Midwest are taking that mission to new heights with student-centered celebrations that make lunchtime celebrations more meaningful.

Teaming Up Nutrition and Athletics to Boost Performance

The Elbert County School District nutrition department in Georgia is demonstrating how a partnership with the athletics department can drive success both on the field and in the cafeteria.

Led by School Nutrition Director Bridgette Matthews, a registered dietitian and sports enthusiast, the initiative links nutrition directly to student-athlete performance.

“When our new football coach joined in 2020, we had a long conversation about changing the culture of the program,” Matthews said. “We knew it started with the basics of good nutrition. What goes in the body is what we get out on the field.”

TX Districts Cultivate Farm to School Connections Through Local Food Hub

Lake Travis ISD and Manor ISD in Texas have reimagined farm-to-school connections through a Food Hub Pilot program.

The collaborative program relies on partnerships with the Central Texas Food Bank for infrastructure and delivery support and the Sustainable Food Center to help align menu forecasting with regional harvests. Connections were made with local farms, including Farmshare Austin, Hope Full Farms and The Refugee Collective, who contributed fresh, organic and sustainably grown foods.

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.

Texas School Co-op Hosts Popular Food Expo for 25 Years

Consumers have many ways to share their voice when it comes to menus and restaurant reviews – good, bad or indifferent, opinions on Yelp or Google reviews can be taken into consideration by chefs and foodservice managers. It only makes sense that students are interested to share their voice in school menu choices too, which can be both empowering and satisfying as they evolve into future decision makers.

Food Service Specialist Lauren Bush prefers to go straight to her young customers when it comes to critical menu decisions for schools within the Region 5 Food Service Cooperative, comprised of 43 school districts in East Texas. Two food show expos each school year are held to showcase new food items and gather student feedback on what’s new in healthy school menu offerings. The Lufkin Expo took place in the fall and the Beaumont Expo will be celebrating its 25th anniversary on February 4^th.

California District Boosts Produce Intake with School Farmers Markets

Twin Rivers Unified School District, located just outside Sacramento, California, developed an innovative and engaging way to encourage more fruit and vegetable consumption among students. An annual Farmers Market at each of its 24 elementary school campuses provides hands-on, tangible experiences for students, empowering them with the knowledge and skills to make healthier food choices.

Hosting the market has become a beloved tradition at each school, as it is eagerly anticipated by students every year. At each market, fresh fruits and veggies bursting with color are on display. The students are challenged to pick at least two different colored items while learning shopping skills and receiving an on-site nutrition lesson.

School Cafeterias Celebrate the Holidays

Holiday sights, sounds and smells are buzzing in school kitchens and cafeterias across the country! From school nutrition staff in Texas wearing matching shirts with holiday messages, to students making latkes to share with classmates in Massachusetts and gingerbread cookie making in Georgia, holiday celebrations entail long traditions as well as new ways to get festive.

VA Team Engages Students Outside the Cafeteria

The school nutrition team in Harrisonburg City Public Schools (VA) prepares more than just healthy school meals during the school day. Team members engage with their students through community initiatives, enrichment programs, after-school meal service as well as weekend programs. According to the nutrition director, members of the team love extra opportunities to work with the students, even if it means volunteering after school hours.

Harrisonburg’s nutrition team supports an Emerging Chefs program for young members of the community involved in the On the Road Collaborative. The non-profit organization based in Harrisonburg works with underserved youth and shows them different career paths.

Thinking Outside the Box to Fill Staffing Shortages

The Kershaw County School District (SC) school nutrition department was fully staffed before the pandemic. Down a third of its staff two years later, they knew they had to try something different to ensure enough resources to feed children in the district.