As a foodservice director for your school or district, you have a demanding and challenging role. You’re in charge of procurement, compliance, ordering, staffing, menu planning and so much more! Are you struggling to keep up? Have you ever wondered how some directors just get it all done? Well, you could be that person too. […]
Blog
It’s Time to Update Your Nutrient Analysis Software
Now is the time to update your recipes and menus within your menu planning software database! And if you’re still using paper recipes, then you’re certainly overdue for an upgrade! Organizing your recipes within a database makes creating new ones a breeze. In addition, this aids in staying compliant and improves your odds of passing […]
Fight or Flight When Your Customers Complain
In the last few months, social media feeds and news stories have been highlighting student and parent complaints about the quality of school meals. In addition to the daily struggles school nutrition departments are experiencing, this is one more thing added to their day. Often the one negative comment or feedback overshadows all the success […]
Farm to School: Planting the Seed for Your School Garden
Does your district participate in farm to school activities? The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 formally established the Farm to School Program within the USDA to improve access to local foods in our school system. This USDA survey demonstrates that 42 percent of districts say they participate in farm to school activities – a […]
Online Menu: Key to Successful NSLP
In a time where we have immediate access to almost anything, it is nearly impossible for a school nutrition department to survive without an online menu. The lack of an interactive website and online menu could hold back a school meal program. Visualization and having data at our fingertips is everything in the food industry. […]
Navigating School Lunch with Food Allergies (Part II)
Food Allergy Awareness Week occurs in May each year. School foodservice employees will be undertaking training and planning activities so as to keep their students with food allergies safe. In a previous post, we helped you navigate school lunch with food allergies. We covered the most common allergens, discussed the difference between a food allergy […]
Think Warm! Participate in the Summer Food Service Program
Given that many parts of the country are still snowy and frigid, we hope to warm you up a little by thinking about participating in Summer Food Service Programs (SFSP)! The USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) ensures that low-income children can continue to have access to nutritious meals when school is not in session. […]
Navigating School Lunch with Food Allergies (part 1)
Each May there is a week dedicated to increasing awareness of food allergies. This dedicated week serves as a reminder and an opportunity for schools and child nutrition professionals to re-emphasize the importance of understanding and managing food allergies, ultimately creating a safer and more inclusive environment for all students. For those who have been […]
Fuel Up with Smart Snacks as Part of Your School Lunch Program
What are your thoughts on snacking? Some of us have come to view the word as an “ugly” or “bad” word, thinking that snacks are only things like chips and candy bars that can ruin our appetite before dinner. That couldn’t be further from the truth! Snacking when the body is hungry for fuel in-between […]
Knowledge is Power! Find Out What Your Students Think About Their Food Via a Survey
In the day-to-day operation of a food service department, we must ask a very important question: “What do our customers think about our food?” This is such a powerful question, yet one that in the hustle and bustle can sometimes be forgotten. It’s time to prioritize this question as it could lead to some powerful […]