First off, stop calling it a “cafeteria.” And don’t just re-configure the physical space and the equipment, but the entire dining experience. San Francisco Unified School District is doing just that, in partnership with one of the world’s sharpest, most sought-after design firms. More than 1,300 school community stakeholders have weighed in on a vision for the future that looks and feels both radical and perfectly natural—a paradigm shift away from assembly-line style service to more intuitive...
Jun 15, 2015•42 min•Ep. 42
In West Virginia, many children suffer from levels childhood poverty, hunger, and obesity well above the national average. To meet this troubling challenge, the state’s Department of Education has been exceptionally energetic in its top-down efforts to win student acceptance of healthier menus while eliminating costly inefficiencies in the system. Is it working? Rick Goff, Executive Director of the Office of Child Nutrition, says it is. Join us to hear about his compelling testimony before the S...
Jun 08, 2015•49 min•Ep. 41
Cyndie Story has consulted in school kitchens in 37 states, where she has spread a gospel of work simplification that can transform the lives of food service staff. The humility and humor with which she approaches the job makes her an inspirational figure. “I love to laugh,” she says, “and once we laugh, learning begins.” Join us for a tour of Chef Cyndie’s best practices, honed over 25 years on the job. This program was brought to you by Cain Vineyard and Winery. “My dad always told me in order...
Jun 01, 2015•39 min•Ep. 40
Where do you set your goal for local food purchasing? How about 50 percent of your total food budget? How about trying to do this in Maine? In Portland, ME, Mayor Michael Brennan believes it can be done; and the school district’s food service director, Ron Adams, is getting close. No, they don’t have extra money. And Portland students are as resistant to change as kids anywhere else. But there’s deep political will, and pressure, in a city widely regarded as one of the foodiest and most locavore...
May 18, 2015•39 min•Ep. 39
El Monte City School District is celebrated as a leading edge reformer well beyond the cafeteria. Over the years, this high-needs district has established a rigorous, comprehensive approach to student wellness that attempts to touch every aspect of their lives in and out of school. The exuberant press and many awards it’s attracted a along the way are enough to make El Monte seem charmed. But there’s no secret sauce. They’re just tenacious here, and they’ve been that way for years. This program ...
Apr 27, 2015•38 min•Ep. 38
Since July 2014, an interim USDA regulation on foods sold outside the reimbursable meals program requires healthier offerings nationwide. But questions remain. Many of the new “Smart Snacks” are reformulated copycats of highly processed stuff sold outside school. In some states, liberal waivers of restrictions on bake sales and junk-food fundraisers keep sugar levels high. Should we be worried? Not necessarily, say today’s guests. Districts can choose to adopt (or retain) stricter standards, set...
Apr 20, 2015•40 min•Ep. 37
Amid widespread complaints about discarded school food, enter a new study that tells us things may be not as bad as they seem. Careful measurements of plate waste taken in twelve Connecticut schools in 2012, 2013, and 2014 tell a different story, of students eating better and wasting less as they adjust to changes on their lunch trays. Lead author Marlene Schwartz, Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, unpacks this new data and reviews the study’s conclusions. See Privacy Poli...
Apr 06, 2015•30 min•Ep. 36
Of course students eat better when healthy food is prepared with care and skill. We all knew that. Now we have important new research to back us up, the result of a year-long collaboration between the Harvard School of Public Health and Project Bread’s Chefs in Schools program. The study’s two leaders–the head author and the head chef–describe the complexity involved in making targeted changes in the school kitchen and cafeteria while systematically assessing the impacts. This program was brough...
Mar 30, 2015•39 min•Ep. 35
Processed foods: Whether you need them oven-ready or as components for speed scratch, you probably want them without additives you don’t recognize or can’t pronounce. You want fresh and vivid flavors kids will go for, and you would prefer to know where and how the ingredients were grown. Possible? Two progressive vendors say yes, if you can make just a little extra wiggle room in your budget. This program was sponsored by Cain Vineyard and Winery. “Over the last ten years, there’s been a huge pu...
Mar 23, 2015•43 min•Ep. 34
It’s planning season for USDA summer meals sponsors–the people who know that, for children from food-insecure homes, the last day of school isn’t necessarily a happy occasion. Currently, only a small fraction of students eligible for federally funded summer meals actually get them. Today’s guests talk about why, and what school districts can do to help meet the need. The best programs, they say, are served up with sides of fun. This program was sponsored by Cain Vineyard and Winery. “We heard fr...
Mar 16, 2015•38 min•Ep. 33
Food trucks are rolling statements about some the values Americans hold dearest: independence, entrepreneurship, and mobility. Authenticity. Creativity. Affordability. With the movement growing so fast across the nation, it was only a matter of time before school food innovators started getting in on it. Today we profile two programs in sunny Florida, where hip new trucks can work year-round, winning teenage converts for healthy school meals. “The students are more aligned to things they can see...
Mar 02, 2015•36 min•Ep. 32
Whether your sales up or down, there has to be a reason. So what’s behind the participation slump among students who don’t qualify for free or reduced-priced meals? Some school nutrition professionals say it’s a clear case of cause and effect: paying kids don’t like the new menus, so they’re not buying. But a recent report from the Food Resource and Action Center describes a much more complex set of circumstances. So does the experience of one well-to-do Kansas high school, where competitive foo...
Feb 16, 2015•37 min•Ep. 31
It’s been more than five years since the inception of FoodCorps, the AmeriCorps division that sends young service members into school gardens, classrooms, cafeterias, and kitchens, where they’re tasked with generating excitement and support for healthy whole food. Today’s guests describe how it’s done. Idealism is the catalyst. But it’s creativity, tenacity, and–most important–humility that really make it work. This program was brought to you by Visit Napa Valley . See Privacy Policy at https://...
Feb 09, 2015•43 min•Ep. 30
What’s behind the “True Food” revolution in Minneapolis Public Schools? Ambitious purchasing of industrial-strength gadgets—cook-chill tanks, vacuum baggers, a meat shredder, a “gentle mixer,” and a 30-foot-long sous vide cooker—may be costly, but food costs are down, participation is up, and unpronounceable additives are out. This program was brought to you by Rt. 11 Potato Chips . “Food has to look good so people eat it. It starts with the eyes.” [09:00] —Ricardo Abbott on Inside School Fo...
Jan 26, 2015•42 min•Ep. 29
This week on Inside School Food , for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, join Audrey Rowe, Administrator of the Food and Nutrition Service at USDA, in reflection on socioeconomic justice in school nutrition programs–historically, currently, and going forward as we approach Child Nutrition Reauthorization 2015. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market . “Instead of the dialogue focusing on how we provide more resources to school meals programs, it seems to be centered on how do we curtail ...
Jan 19, 2015•38 min•Ep. 28
There is perhaps no city in the nation more strongly associated with fish than Monterey, CA, home to the world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium and the setting for John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row. But most of the seafood harvested from local waters is processed in China and sold to international markets. At Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, food service director Jenn Gerard wants to do something about that. Learn how she’s teamed up with a pioneering CSF (community supported fishery) to purch...
Jan 12, 2015•39 min•Ep. 27
We kick off the new year with Dayle Hayes, the activist blogger behind “School Meals That Rock,” a multi-platform social media campaign that draws attention to news of healthy, delicious, sustainable progress in K-12 food service. Last year there was plenty of that kind of news. And there’s lots more to celebrate–along with lots of media negativity to deflect–as we move towards Child Nutrition Reauthorization 2015. Want to join the movement? It’s easy. All you need is a smart phone, a Facebook a...
Jan 05, 2015•38 min•Ep. 26
It took a village to produce New School Cuisine: Nutritional and Seasonal Recipes for School Cooks by School Cooks. This pioneering new book features 78 rigorously tested, fully reimbursable dishes that Vermont children have enthusiastically voted for with their sporks. “The final ingredients added to each recipe,” write the authors, “are dedication, tenacity, patience and kindness. These ingredients infuse the recipes with the hope that we can change lives by helping our students understand foo...
Dec 15, 2014•38 min•Ep. 25
Big districts have long employed chefs, and smaller ones are increasingly relying on them as consultants. But what happens when a mid-size district hires a classically trained restaurant industry veteran as food service director? In this episode, we talk to two CIA alumni who love the job, and whose scratch-cooked, delicious, USDA-compliant meals programs are in the black. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Priva...
Nov 24, 2014•51 min•Ep. 24
What’s really behind the controversy over Healthy Hunger Free Kids 2010? According to today’s guests, it’s dollars that don’t make sense. Join Gitta Grether-Sweeney of Portland (OR) Public Schools Nutrition Services and Gary Vonck, a national leader in K-12 food service sales, for their take on rising food and labor costs, diminished revenues, and reimbursement rates that aren’t keeping pace with the required changes in many districts. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market . ####...
Nov 17, 2014•41 min•Ep. 23
Food service leaders from six of the nation’s very largest districts–New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, and Orlando–have joined together over shared reform goals: lower prices, more sustainable production practice, and a pronounced shift in not just what’s served, but how–including how we talk to kids about food. And who best to consult with about that? The French, bien sur. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market . Photo: Pierre Bonnard, The Children’s Meal, 1895 “As t...
Nov 03, 2014•48 min•Ep. 22
Three very big districts—Riverside, San Diego, and Oakland—are taking farm to school to the next level with an enormous, year-round commitment to sustainably grown California chicken. Their ambitious purchasing initiative, which has been several years in the making, is designed to send a clear and certain message to the poultry industry: Clean up your act. Our students’ health is at stake. Find out more on this week’s episode of Inside School Food . This program was brought to you by Whole F...
Oct 27, 2014•43 min•Ep. 21
What community isn’t proud of its school trophies? Across Georgia, there’s a new kind of prize that recognizes exemplary work in farm-to-school, named after a tasty local vegetable. And winning at any level—gold, silver, or bronze—can generate the kind of excitement and support that a good school meals program deserves. This program was brought to you by White Oak Pastures . “We’re creating a real experience around food for kids.” [7:30] — Erin Croom on Inside School Food “Educating the stud...
Oct 20, 2014•40 min•Ep. 20
Farm to school purchasing pursues social, environmental, economic, and public health goals. How to evaluate progress in reaching them, and how to share ideas and learning across a diverse, national community of practice? In this episode, learn about two new resources that are designed to help. This program was brought to you by Rolling Press See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Oct 13, 2014•39 min•Ep. 19
Family farms dominate the agricultural landscape of the Lower Michigan Peninsula, growing lots more than those celebrated sour cherries. Romanesco and kohlrabi, for instance, which the children of Traverse City Area Public Schools have come to enjoy are grown there. Learn how the district is drawing in local growers with the help of a network of community partners. This program was brought to you by White Oak Pastures . “The development of the wineries and the growing of the grapes have spawned ...
Oct 06, 2014•34 min•Ep. 18
We’re so excited about Farm to School Month 2014 that we’re starting two days early. Join us for a walk through USDA’s totally indispensable, very user-friendly guide to launching, bidding, and buying farm to school. Author Christina Conell talks about what’s in it, including best practice examples from all over the nation. This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA . “As a taxpayer, I want to make sure schools are getting the best products for the best price at the best quantity – bu...
Sep 29, 2014•37 min•Ep. 17
Want fresh, USDA-compliant meals that kids will get excited about? How about putting kids in charge? Cooking Up Change does just that. Subjected to the same tight budgets, strict nutrition standards, and logistical challenges that adult school menu planners face every day, teams of high school culinary students in ten cities compete to create healthy school lunches that their peers will enjoy. The winners make their way to Washington, DC, every spring to offer samples to legislators and put stud...
Sep 22, 2014•37 min•Ep. 16
A school cafeteria can be a highly charged environment. Crowds of students press into the line, eager to zip through so they can get to their friends and recess. They’re hungry. It’s very loud. And they’re only children. Can we really expect them to focus on healthy choices? Experts from the Cornell Center of Behavioral Economics say we can, with the help of simple, low or no-cost interventions at the point of sale. It’s just marketing, but it can work like magic. This program was brought to you...
Sep 15, 2014•36 min•Ep. 15
Inside School Food kicks off the new school year with a discussion of the nutrition standards mandated by the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010. This school year, SFAs are being asked to do even more–more fruit, more whole grain, and less sodium, along with new, very strict guidelines on a la carte and snack items. Can they do it? Two food service directors from medium-size districts at opposite ends of the country weigh in on their successes and challenges to date, and their hopes and concer...
Sep 08, 2014•35 min•Ep. 14
Explore school lunch around the world on the season finale of Inside School Food . Why are we so riveted by pictures of school meals in other countries? Perhaps because it’s a shared experience the world over, and perhaps because these images are so rich in information. “Unpack a school lunch,” writes guest Andrea Curtis, author of What’s For Lunch: How Schoolchildren Eat Around the World, “and you’ll discover that food is connected to issues that matter to everyone—things such as climate chan...
Aug 11, 2014•38 min•Ep. 13
