Meals Plus Monthly E-Newsletter - December 2015

We're Halfway Through the School Year;
Now is a Good Time to Look at Your Inventory Levels

We hope you find these inventory management tips from our Child Nutrition Operations Consultant, Cynthia Sevier, SNS, helpful! For more information on Cynthia's consulting services, contact us today.

As the first half of the school year quickly approaches, it is a good time to take a look at inventory levels in schools. Inventory control is having enough inventory on hand to meet expectations within a certain period of time, but not having excess that lends itself to spoilage or theft. High inventories tie up cash, take up storage space and are more difficult to count. Low inventories result in the inability to follow menus or standardized recipes, which can affect participation or acceptability of the finished products. It could also have a direct impact on whether or not federal and state program regulations are met.

So how much inventory is excessive or inadequate? Inventory level goals can be set for each school site based on food costs and the number of days of inventory that is on hand. Measure of inventory efficiency is the number of days on hand and the turnover rate.



Most authorities set the standard of having 7-10 days of inventory on hand and have a turnover rate of 2-3.

Using food cost goals as a percent to revenue and determining inventory levels can not only help managers to be aware of the processes of ordering, receiving, production and tracking food at their school, but to also look for ways to control waste and theft.

To read more about how to effectively manage
your cafeterias' inventory, download your free copy of
"Managing the Money on the Pantry Shelves."

WATCH: What's New with
Meals Plus Point of Sale

Meals Plus Point of Sale software is designed to be fast, flexible, and easy to use! Our system was built specifically for K12 school cafeterias and consists only of features necessary to run your program.

The system's features include prohibiting items from students with dietary restrictions or food allergies, speedy serving by classrooms and custom groups, working in offline mode when the network connectivity is interrupted, and much more!

Call 1-800-541-8999 or email us for more information.

Increasing Breakfast Participation
with an Elf on the Shelf!

Child Nutrition Director of Elkin City Schools (NC), Debbie McCoin, and co-worker Connie Snider created and implemented a promotion in their elementary school cafeteria – Elkie the Elf!

Their cafeteria has had their own "Elf on a Shelf" since December 1, 2015 and since then, participation has increased 20-25%. Elkie gets into all kinds of mischief, then hides from the students – moving cafeteria tables to create a playground, peeking out from Santa's sleigh atop the cafeteria lunchline sneeze guard, and even hanging from banners – and it's all tied to a contest.



Students are competing to be the first to find Elkie the most number of mornings until December 18th. They generate entries by making a breakfast or snack purchase, telling a cafeteria staff member where Elkie is, then receiving a sticker. The student with the most stickers wins a prize.

McCoin, who was featured in the Elkin Tribune, said, "The kids really love it; you can see as they walk in the door their little eyes are searching quickly all over the cafeteria to find Elkie first."

Congratulations to McCoin, Snider, and the cafeteria staff at Elkin Elementary School for having such a fun cafeteria promotional contest for the holiday season! If you increased participation in your lunchroom in a creative way, tell us about it and we will feature it on our blog.

Meals Plus Customer Spotlight

Nancy Mears, Laurel School District (DE)

Nancy Mears is the Director of School Nutrition for Laurel School District in Laurel, DE, and like many of her colleagues, she has a passion for teaching students about the benefits of healthy eating and physical activity. Through her commitment to her community, Laurel School District has been the beneficiary of the USDA Farm-to-School Planning Grant, Nemours Health & Prevention Services Community Transformation Grant and the DelaWell Wellness Champion. Get to know Nancy in our latest Meals Plus Customer Spotlight and click here to read about other Meals Plus Customers across the country!

The Dish: How long have you been using Meals Plus?
Nancy Mears: We have been using Meals Plus since January 2015 when we implemented the Point of Sale component. Since then, we have implemented Menu Planning, Nutrient Analysis, Meal Production Records, Accountability and Inventory.

TD: What duties and responsibilities does your position entail?
NM: I serve the taxpayers of Laurel as the Director of School Nutrition for the Laurel School District. I oversee the 25 school nutrition professionals who provide six federal nutrition programs for the benefit of the students in the Laurel School District and the community children in Sussex County, Delaware.

TD: What aspects of your position do you enjoy the most?
NM: I am passionate about all aspects of children's health, specifically healthy eating. I enjoy being part of a team that does whatever it takes to create and provide an environment that supports healthy eating, even when school is not in session. The cafeteria is our classroom.

TD: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
NM: Free time? What free time??? Just kidding! I enjoy watching my two sons play baseball and flag football while my husband coaches. We also like to travel and visit different restaurants… so I can conduct "research" of course!

TD: What was your favorite cafeteria lunch when you were a student?
NM: My favorite school lunch was, and still is, shepherd's pie.

Meet the Team: Mel

Get to know the members of the Meals Plus Sales Team! Mel is an Account Manager, so if you want more information on how our software system can help your child nutrition department, or want an in-person cafeteria POS sales demo, he may be the one to help you!

The Dish: How long have you been at Meals Plus?
Mel: I began working with Meals Plus in 2011.

TD: What duties and responsibilities does your position entail?
M: Prospecting for new customers and keeping in touch with my Meals Plus customers to make sure they are happy with their software.

TD: What aspects of your position do you enjoy the most?
M: The family-like atmosphere not only within our company, but with our customers as well.

TD: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
M: I enjoy watching sports and being outdoors.

TD: What was your favorite lunch when you were in school?
M: I always liked the country fried steak!

Visit our blog to meet the rest of the Meals Plus Team!

School Nutrition Conferences

We are spreading the word on how Meals Plus makes managing your school's students, staff, menus, finances and inventory easier. Come see us at the following conferences:

Components

- Point of Sale
- Free & Reduced
- Online Services
- Inventory
- PowerSchool
  Connector
- Menu Planning
- Nutrient Analysis
- Accountability
- Financial
- Time Clock
- Fixed Assets

In This Issue

- Inventory Tips
- Point of Sale
- Lunchroom
  Promotion
- Customer
  Spotlight
- Meet the Team
- Conferences

Free Resources

The Five P's of Promoting Your School Meal Program

Fiscal Survival 101: Financial Success in the Era of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act

Keeping the Lunchline Moving: Tips to Increase the Speed of Your Lunchlines

Managing the Money on the Pantry Shelves: Inventory Management for Your Child Nutrition Program