Purpose/Objectives: This paper describes the results from a Smarter Lunchroom program designed to evaluate if bundling fruit or vegetable strategies listed on the Smarter Lunchroom Scorecard increased selection of fruits and vegetables by students in school cafeterias from 2015 to 2017. Methods: Twenty-one Michigan State University (MSU) Extension…

In 2003, when it came to contracting out for common public school services, only outsourcing food provision could be considered a rather common occurrence in Michigan. There was good reason for this: school districts are prohibited from making a profit from their cafeteria, but any deficits created in providing food for students must be covered by…

Many of Michigan's public school districts are under substantial fiscal pressures from a combination of declining enrollment and increasing costs, particularly related to employee benefits, but most districts are responding to these challenges. One of the ways that districts can stretch their resources further is through competitive contracting…

Objective: This study investigated changes in Michigan school food service directors' farm to school (FTS) participation levels and perspectives since a 2004 survey and factors that would facilitate FTS expansion. Design: Electronic survey census of all Michigan school food service directors. Setting: Michigan kindergarten-12th grade schools.…

With Michigan's public school districts facing a decline in per-pupil funding, more districts are contracting out for at least one of the three major school support services--food, custodial and transportation--than ever before. This year's survey of school districts found that 44.6 percent of all Michigan school districts contract out for at…

Privatization of school support services is a time-tested means for lowering educational costs. The three major services that school districts in Michigan contract out for are food, custodial and transportation. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy's survey of privatization is the longest running and most comprehensive source of school support…

This training manual introduces school food service, child nutrition program goals, and programs in Michigan. It also studies food service backgrounds, noting, for example, that "penny lunches" began in Philadelphia in 1894 and that Holland was the first country--in 1900--to legislate school lunches, as well as legal activities over the…

From April 25 through June 30, 2007, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy conducted its fifth survey of the privatization of bus, food and janitorial services among Michigan's 552 conventional public school districts. All Michigan school districts responded. In 2007, the Mackinac Center also conducted a nationwide survey of state education…

Testimony concerning the Summer Feeding Program was heard during the June 25, 1971 hearing from R. S. Gribbs, mayor of Detroit, Mich.; K. Gibson, mayor of Newark, N. J. and, Arnold Robles and Edward Koplan, program administrators of Los Angeles County, Calif., and City of San Antonio, Texas. Testimony concerning the withholding of funds for…

Introductions to menu planning I and II--including nutrition requirements for children of all ages--are the subjects of the first two lessons of this Food Service Training Manual. The menu planning system of lesson 3 deals with place and time, as well as with needs for eye appeal and contrast. Lesson 4 is a progress test with answer key for…

Inservice training should motivate school food workers to participate in children's nutrition education. The training lesson includes a series of service manager/director guidelines, information sheets, and an audiovisual aids list. Food staff nutrition lessons for classroom presentation to grades 4 to 6 cover the daily food guide, snacks,…