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School meals in WA include cultural flavors

School recipes that reflect culturally relevant flavors from within the school community are welcoming to students in the cafeteria. When Highline Public Schools in Washington asked for student feedback about new lunch and breakfast menu ideas, requests included Native American dishes, as well as vegetarian options and flavors unique to the Pacific Northwest.

Providing free fresh produce all day

Carts full of fresh fruits and vegetables provide options to nourish elementary students through the school day in McLean County, Kentucky. Students looking for a healthy snack are able to grab one off the hallway cart at any time of day in school, thanks to a grant.

National School Lunch Week

Stepping into many school cafeterias last week offered a fun trip to another era! Across the country, many school nutrition professionals embraced the School Nutrition Association’s “Peace, Love and School Lunch” theme for National School Lunch Week (NSLW), donning bell bottoms, bright-colored shirts and flower power!

Decorating Plates to Celebrate Healthy Meals

Each year during National School Lunch Week (NSLW), nutrition staff at Spring Independent School District (ISD) in Texas looks for ways to engage students and get them excited about healthy school lunches.

Located just outside of Houston, more than 95% of the district’s 33,500 students participate in the lunch program daily. School nutrition staff is committed to making sure supply chain challenges or staffing shortages have minimal effect on the meals they are serving and they continue to find ways to keep hungry student customers well nourished.

Peace, Love and School Lunch

School cafeterias nationwide are celebrating “Peace, Love and School Lunch” during National School Lunch Week, October 10-14. A big change from those groovy days decades ago, school menus in 2022 are full of trendy entrees, farm to table produce and lots of variety for students.

Schuylerville Central School District, NY

Many school nutrition programs are reaching into their community to ensure school meals are representative of the cultures and demographics of their students. The growth in schools locally sourcing foods and the increase in farm-to-school programs also help bring a greater variety and more seasonal regional favorites to student lunch trays.

In New York, many school lunch programs choose a certain day to highlight New York-grown foods each week. In upstate New York, the Schuylerville Central School District purchases at least 30% of foods for lunches from within the state, which qualifies the district for additional state funding for its farm-to-school program.

Studies show that school meal programs play an important role in supporting obesity prevention, and promoting overall student health and academic achievement by improving children’s diets and combating hunger.

Parents of finicky eaters understand that sometimes just getting children to try new things can be challenging. Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia has what it calls “Taste it Thursday.” At the elementary schools, sample sizes of sweet peppers from a local farm were recently put out for students to try.

Putnam County Schools in Florida offers students the chance to pick their favorite chicken wing flavors on “Wing Wednesday.” At Interlachen High School, students are offered plain, spicy, barbecue and sweet and sour flavors to choose from.

Hale County Child Nutrition Program in Alabama offers students selections from an Asian Bar, regularly serving healthy versions of popular entrees such as General Tso’s or Teriyaki Chicken. The schools offer made-from-scratch fried rice, Asian noodles, steamed broccoli, egg rolls and even a fortune cookie!

Every day, nearly 30 million children eat a healthy school lunch, providing them with the nourishment they need to succeed in the classroom. To receive federal reimbursements, school meals are required to meet nutrition standards, offering a balance of lean protein, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low or fat-free milk.

Like in restaurants, spicy foods appeal to many students in school too. In Texas, Austin ISD Food Service says spicy chicken sandwiches are one of the most popular items served at the high school.

Greenville County Schools in South Carolina offers a salad bar every Monday, Wednesday and Friday as well as a wide variety of fresh and steamed vegetables for lunch daily at every school. The district says students are more likely to consume fresh fruits and vegetables when they have multiple options available.

During National School Lunch Week, many schools will celebrate with special menus, decorated cafeterias and engaging nutrition education programs. For more information, check the local school nutrition program web site or visit https://schoolnutrition.org/event/national-school-lunch-week-nslw/.

Bringing more local foods to school lunch

October is National Farm to School Month, an opportunity for school districts to shine a light on all of their efforts to provide local foods on student lunch trays.

In central Minnesota, Nay Ah Shing and Pine Grove Nutrition Services Coordinator Deborah Foye has been cultivating relationships with area farmers for produce and meat for the last decade.

Students create healthy recipes for Culinary Arts Fair

School nutrition professionals in one rural West Virginia district wanted to do more to educate students about nutrition, recognizing that engaging with students could help the effort to lower obesity rates and improve health. Wyoming County School District‘s Director of Child Nutrition and General Wellness Programs Rhonda Thomas created a student culinary arts fair to encourage a friendly competition for students to create healthy recipes.

School Greenhouse Grown Veggies on the Menu

Produce grown in the district’s new greenhouse will be on the menu this fall in Denver Public Schools‘ (CO). According to school officials, the 28,000 square foot greenhouse is the first of its kind in the United States and will eventually hold up to 35,000 plants.

What’s on the menu in the new school year?

The start of the new school year is quickly approaching. School nutrition professionals from across the country recently attended the nation’s largest school food show to bring new ideas to student menus. Customizable meals is a trend many students will see when they head back to the cafeteria.

Taking Farm-to-School Food on the Road

To get farm-to-school and locally sourced foods to more students, Buffalo Public Schools (NY) invested in a food truck, which went on the road in October of 2020.

“We only serve New York-made beef, hotdogs and hamburgers on the food truck. Any entree served comes from local farms, such as locally grown eggs, New York grown potatoes and hydroponic lettuce,” said Bridget O’Brien Wood, Food Service Director for Buffalo Public Schools. The menu is dependent on the current growing season.