
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!
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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.
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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.

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.
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It’s getting wild this National School Lunch Week!
Schools across the country are “Wild About School Lunch” and celebrating National School Lunch Week, October 11-15. This year, lunch is available for free to all students and the efforts of school nutrition professionals ensure healthy lunches are being served, despite unprecedented nationwide supply chain and staffing challenges stemming from the pandemic.
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Now Playing: School Lunch!
The 2020 National School Lunch Week theme Now Playing: School Lunch! put a spotlight on nutritious and delicious menu items that student love. Whether school districts celebrated with fun messages and activities included in curbside pick-up lunch bags or created immersive and socially-distanced red carpets in their cafeteria, school nutrition staff took the effort during this unique school year.
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Lunchtime May Look Different, But School Meals Are A Student’s Best Friend

School lunch and the way it’s served during National School Lunch Week may look little different in 2020, but schools are still working hard to introduce new menus items and get kids excited about eating health meals at school. Students in Lansing Central School District (NY) know first-hand how school nutrition professionals have risen to overcome challenges to adapt meal service to various in-person and remote learning methods during the pandemic.
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Curbside Lunch Pick-up Doesn’t Stop National School Lunch Week Celebrations
National School Lunch Week (NSLW) looks pretty different this year for Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools (NC) as K-5 students won’t be starting in-school classes until October 19. The district has been running a curbside meal pick-up operation to coincide with distance learning, but they haven’t given up serving nutritious and delicious meals for their students! ECPPS is offering prepared meals that are shelf stable or heat-and-eat selections for middle and high schoolers.
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School Cafeterias On Trend During National School Lunch Week
During National School Lunch Week 2019, school districts are featuring Instagram-worthy, healthy school menus that tout trends highlighted in School Nutrition Association’s (SNA) recent national report. The 2019 Trends Survey reveals cafeterias across the country are offering students more international foods, locally sourced ingredients, antibiotic free proteins, customizable meals, whole grain rich foods and grab-and-go options on menus. Read more…

Recipe Contests Highlight CA District’s National School Lunch Week
School districts across the country are gearing up to celebrate this year’s music-themed National School Lunch Week (NSLW), “School Lunch: What’s On Your Playlist?” from October 14-18. Schools like Capistrano Union School District (CA) are busy planning new recipe launches and highlighting some favorite school lunches during the week. The Food Service Department will share photos of their daily special entrée and daily vegan special entrée on their popular Instagram account, CapoFood. CUSD will also be creating morning announcements to hype up lunch every day during NSLW, complete with music, menu highlights and dancing.
“We are hoping that this week will put a bright spotlight on our program and reach some new students, parents and staff that might not be aware of all our program has to offer,” said Nutrition Specialist Shannon Illingworth. “We are so proud of the variety in our menu, especially our vegan choices.” Read more…