The goal of the Offer Versus Serve (OVS) option in the Healthy School Meals Initiative is to minimize plate waste and to encourage more food choices in school meal programs. This manual was designed for child nutrition programs as a tool in helping them meet the Healthy School Meals Initiative, in particular to assist them in identifying a…

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…

This menu planning guide for school lunches and breakfasts contains: (1) lunch requirements, recommendations, and policies; (2) the basics of menu planning; (3) how to vary portions for various age/grade groups; (4) planning breakfasts; (5) merchandising school lunches and breakfasts; and (6) nutrition education and menu planning; Appendixes…

This booklet provides information regarding the use of universal free breakfast programs and guidance to schools that wish to start such a program. Written for school officials and breakfast advocates, the guide discusses the benefits of a universal free school breakfast program, the options available, and basic operational issues, so that…

A special report on school food service discusses the following: (1) new directions in the federal commodities program; (2) cafeteria etiquette strategies; (3) menus and management for school breakfast programs; (4) balancing nutrition and cost effectiveness; and (5) recycling cafeteria waste. (MLF)

This guide lays out the issues, objections, responses, and strategies involved with expanding the School Breakfast Program in a state or a school district. The guide describes in lay terms the particulars of the School Breakfast Program, and outlines successful state and local campaign strategies. It contains the following chapters: (1) The School…

School food service should be considered a vital aspect of school operations, not an appendage to the educational program. This handbook revolves around the federal Child Nutrition and National School Lunch program serving about 24 million pupils daily in over 90 percent of the nation's 89,200 public schools. The booklet helps explain various…

This guide is based on the latest federal regulations and meal pattern requirements for the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. It considers current food production and marketing techniques, packaging methods, grading standards, and changing food habits in the American population. The guide gives average yield information on over 600…

Some children have chronic illnesses that require diet modifications as part of their medical treatment. Advises school districts to hire a registered dietitian or look for resources at a local hospital or public health office. In addition, schools should work with parents, improve staff training, and conduct spot checks of school cafeterias. (MLF)

A program that provides a cash alternative to actual commodity food items to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's Child Nutrition Program has greatly reduced processing charges and virtually eliminated warehousing expenses. By only purchasing the food wanted, and in the form preferred, the children are provided with the full commodity benefits to…

Recognizing the importance of efficient and effective program administration for the success of Utah's Child Nutrition Programs, the State Office of Education developed a manual to assist local program administrators in using the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) programs. This document contains Part 1 of the manual's four interrelated…

This manual contains information on federal policy regarding meal-pattern requirements for school-nutrition programs. It also describes the Offer Versus Serve (OVS) provision, which allows students to decline either one or two food items they do not intend to eat in order to reduce food waste. The manual explains food components, gives examples of…

This guide was written to provide sponsors with a combination of guidance and policy information in order to help them plan, purchase, prepare, and serve nutritious meals and snacks that comply with the Child Care Food Program meal pattern requirements. Nutrition information and lists of allowable foods for each menu component (meat, fruit and…

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…

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…