Each month, our staff reads hundreds of media reports on the subject of school nutrition. We curate our favorites in a monthly blog post we call, “In the News.” Highlighting positive stories about the great things going on in school cafeterias helps us in many ways: providing inspiration, connecting school nutrition professionals from across the country, and promoting those programs and individuals who are taking the extra step to make their school nutrition program the very best it can be.
Annual National Conference in Salt Lake City, July 12-15
The hottest topic in June was the School Nutrition Association’s upcoming Annual National Conference in Salt Lake City. We look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones next week. If you can’t be there, be sure to stay connected with School Nutrition Foundation on Facebook and Twitter for real-time updates from General and Education Sessions, the SNF booth, the Exhibit Hall, and more. Make sure you use and follow the #ANC15 hashtag!
Summer Meals
When it comes to summer meals the keyword is expansion! The USDA has done a great job of bringing more meals to more kids during the summer; in 2011 they increased their number of meals served by 11 million—that’s amazing! This year the USDA announced an even bigger goal—13 million more meals for a total of 200 million served. What a way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Summer Food Service Program! Among our favorite summer meals headlines from recent weeks:
- In Bristol, Connecticut, the Bristol Public Library serves as the summer feeding site for kids in conjunction with their ‘Every HERO Has a Story’ reading program. Libraries make wonderful feedings sites for summer meals, offering additional opportunities for enrichment both educational and social.
- Food trucks, food trucks, everywhere! It’s impossible to ignore the growing popularity of food trucks in school foodservice, and summer meals is no exception. From St. Paul, Minnesota to Bibb County, Georgia, to this mobile food pantry in Broomfield, Colorado, summer feeding is on the move.
School Breakfast in New York City Schools
Breakfast in the classroom will be served at all New York City public elementary school–wow! They project that by SY 2017-18, BIC will be serving 339,000 students at a cost of $92.6 million.
Intersection: Health + Nutrition
In Palm Springs, California, local hospitals—Desert Regional Medical Center and JFK Memorial Hospital—teamed up to raise funds to support the summer breakfast program. Citing the link between a healthy breakfast and overall health, the hospitals held a fundraising drive to benefit the FIND Food Bank which administers the meal program.
Medical students in Chicago are signing up for a voluntary three-hour course—credit-free—in Culinary Medicine. Don’t miss the section ‘Breakfast tacos as medical care’ where the docs learn how to implement breakfast in their own hectic routines in an effort to improve their own nutrition and health. We love it!