A food-systems consultant and designer advises school districts that want prosperous food service programs to adopt big-business methods. Successful commercial operations hire top food-service consultants and designers to get the most from their space, equipment, and labor. Commercial enterprises are concerned with efficient utilization of plant…

Effective financial management of school food service observes the following credos: (1) recognize that school food service is a business; (2) manage for productivity; (3) establish and maintain cost controls; (4) focus on expenses but not to the neglect of managing revenue; (5) balance near-term gain with long-term viability; and (6) reinvest…

Considers ways to include schools' food service departments in technology planning. Discusses school food service software applications, considerations and challenges of automating food service operations, and business-to-business Internet solutions. (EV)

This publication is designed to aid school food service personnel in implementing effective food purchasing practices and obtaining optimum food quality. Part 1 outlines procedures for sound purchasing practices and presents suggested forms for use in implementing these procedures. Information is also provided on inventory systems and stock…

This booklet, designed to assist Project Head State personnel responsible for food programs, presents an extensive food buying guide and more than 40 recipes suitable for a Head Start feeding program. The food buying guide list buying information for food to be used by Project Head Start Centers serving breakfasts, lunches, and/or snacks. For each…

This is a comprehensive record of a hearing held before the General Subcommittee on Education on April 22, 1974. Its purpose was to hear testimony on H.R. 13168, a proposed amendment to the National School Lunch Act that would authorize continued purchase of commodities at market price for distribution to schools, domestic relief agencies, and…

Due to shrinking financial resources accompanied by increased nutritional responsibilities, school food service professionals are employing economies of scale (central kitchens, cooperative purchasing, computerization, and high-tech food preparation equipment) and revenue-expansion opportunities (catering, vending machines, and "a la…

Describes initiatives in New York State to meet student nutrition needs, including the Statewide Training Network for School Food Service Workers and the Nutrition Comes Alive in the Cafeteria program. Emphasizes the role of local boards of education in supporting better nutrition in school lunch and breakfast programs. (FMW)

Pending federal legislation would require that school meals meet federal dietary guidelines. However, food service directors and nutritionists see other obstacles to improving the nutritional content of school meals such as government red tape, costs, and difficulty in changing people's tastes. Hundreds of schools, usually in affluent communities,…

This manual contains information about the selection and implementation of a meal counting and claiming system for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (BSP). Federal reimbursement is provided for each meal that meets program requirements and is served to an eligible student. Part 1 explains the six elements of…

This paper describes the early history, present status, and future trends of the Bureau of School Lunches of the New York City Board of Education. A review of its early history indicates that although various citizen groups and the Department of Welfare served lunches to needy children prior to 1946, it was the passage of the National School Lunch…

First annual food service index. Should be helpful in guiding administrators in the management of their individual food service operation. Especially designed to be of assistance in planning and evaluating food service facilities and in pinpointing areas of opportunity for food marketing managers. (Author/EA)

Describes food service programs administered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and its Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). (MLF)

Provides an overview of the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH) Eat Smart School Nutrition Program, an elementary school health promotion program. The article examines components of the CATCH kitchen visits and intervention materials, including the School Meal Program Guide, Fat and Sodium Criteria, Recipe File Box, Vendor…

Two school districts, one in Pennsylvania and the other in Minnesota, shaped the future of their school food-service and nutrition departments. Leaders in both districts used the strategic planning process as a tool to develop a shared vision, a clear identity, and a commitment to achieving success. (MLF)