Starting this coming school year, school cafeterias across the country will be serving healthier meals to children, but for local districts at least, it will come at a slightly higher cost.
This is part of USDA’s new Nutritional Standards in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program.
“I think the overall change will be good for schools,” Phil Levey, Dansville food services manager said, but added it’s like anything else, it will take some getting used to.
“We’re ahead of the eight ball, pretty much already doing what they’re asking us to do,” he said.
Districts across the state were notified of the changes earlier this year, and Levey said the state is still tweaking its regulations. Among some of the changes in its menu are a larger serving of fruits, a wider variety of vegetables, offering only 1 percent or fat-free milk, adding more whole grains and serving less sodium and smaller portions of meat.
With this new criteria, certain foods and specific portions must be on a student’s tray. No skimping on fruits or vegetables.
For example, while students have been used to serving themselves the amount of fruit they wanted, Wayland-Cohocton business manager David Mastin said regulations indicate that students must be served exactly one-half cup of fruit.
Both he and Levey said that a la carte items will still be available at an additional fee. While regulations don’t restrict ice creams or chips, Levey said students could be limited to a la carte meats or pizza.
In addition to these new regulations is a rather complex set of rules to follow for federal revenue reimbursements. Mastin exampled a letter from New York State Education Department child nutrition program coordinator Frances O’Donnell, which began, “I realize this memo is long, confusing and way too complicated ...”
The memo went on to say, “...the required maximum annual increase by law in the average price for a paid lunch for a school year shall not exceed 10 cents for any [district]. However [school districts] can choose to increase their prices more than 10 cents.”
In short, local districts have increased lunch prices to help even out what it receives (per student) in free and reduced lunch reimbursements. Dansville has raised its lunch price in one lump sum, 25 cents, to $2 for pre-K through sixth-graders; and to $2.25 for 7-12 students.
Wayland-Cohocton intends to raise its lunch prices in increments. It has increased its lunch prices five cents to $1.60 for elementary students; and to $1.85 for middle and high school students.
Local cafeterias receive state and federal money, but none from the local tax share.
Starting this coming school year, school cafeterias across the country will be serving healthier meals to children, but for local districts at least, it will come at a slightly higher cost.
This is part of USDA’s new Nutritional Standards in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program.
“I think the overall change will be good for schools,” Phil Levey, Dansville food services manager said, but added it’s like anything else, it will take some getting used to.
“We’re ahead of the eight ball, pretty much already doing what they’re asking us to do,” he said.
Districts across the state were notified of the changes earlier this year, and Levey said the state is still tweaking its regulations. Among some of the changes in its menu are a larger serving of fruits, a wider variety of vegetables, offering only 1 percent or fat-free milk, adding more whole grains and serving less sodium and smaller portions of meat.
With this new criteria, certain foods and specific portions must be on a student’s tray. No skimping on fruits or vegetables.
For example, while students have been used to serving themselves the amount of fruit they wanted, Wayland-Cohocton business manager David Mastin said regulations indicate that students must be served exactly one-half cup of fruit.
Both he and Levey said that a la carte items will still be available at an additional fee. While regulations don’t restrict ice creams or chips, Levey said students could be limited to a la carte meats or pizza.
In addition to these new regulations is a rather complex set of rules to follow for federal revenue reimbursements. Mastin exampled a letter from New York State Education Department child nutrition program coordinator Frances O’Donnell, which began, “I realize this memo is long, confusing and way too complicated ...”
The memo went on to say, “...the required maximum annual increase by law in the average price for a paid lunch for a school year shall not exceed 10 cents for any [district]. However [school districts] can choose to increase their prices more than 10 cents.”
In short, local districts have increased lunch prices to help even out what it receives (per student) in free and reduced lunch reimbursements. Dansville has raised its lunch price in one lump sum, 25 cents, to $2 for pre-K through sixth-graders; and to $2.25 for 7-12 students.
Wayland-Cohocton intends to raise its lunch prices in increments. It has increased its lunch prices five cents to $1.60 for elementary students; and to $1.85 for middle and high school students.
Local cafeterias receive state and federal money, but none from the local tax share.
