New Rules for School Meals Starting This Year

At an elementary school in Alexandria, VA last week the USDA unveiled it’s long-awaited updated requirements for school meals. In an effort to decrease child obesity and knowing that most children are consuming more than half the calories they eat in a day at school, the final rules for school breakfasts and lunches were released. The standards for school meals have not been raised in more than 15 years. Beginning July 1, 2012, the amount of fruits and vegetables provided will double, all grains will be rich in whole-grain, only low-fat or fat-free milk will be offered, sodium will be limited and calorie maximums and minimums will be enforced.

So what does this mean for you district’s cafeterias? If your school performs well, you can receive an additional 6 cents per meal. And common-sense pricing standards guarantee your federal funding stays competitive with your non-Federal fund sources. The foods you sell in vending machines, carts, and other non-traditional venues will also be tracked.

How can we help? The Meals Plus management system provides you with the real-time data and easy-to-generate reports so that audits will be a breeze. Meals Plus Menus is USDA-approved for use in conducting nutrient analysis, streamlines your district’s menu planning and meets HACCP requirements. Meals Plus Menus also works in conjunction with our school cafeteria Inventory and Production Modules, so a lot of your daily tasks are automated. (Check out this short video to see how they all work together!)

For more information on how Meals Plus can make adhering to the new USDA standards for school meals, contact us today!