It is such a simple mandate: Prepare healthy, nutritious meals for the schoolchildren so they can go about the business of learning. But operating a school district food service department is anything but simple. Even in the smallest districts, food service operations are businesses that must comply with many more rules than those in the private sector. School food service departments must operate as nonprofits, yet they need to make enough money to be self-sufficient. There are federal nutritional guidelines to follow, and the meals have to be attractive to hard-to-please consumers who are inclined to complain about "mystery meat." In this article, the author discusses the options schools have in terms of nutrition.