Menu Planning

Menu planning is a daily process for Nutrition Services with many pieces.  When menu planning, Nutrition Services menu planners consider student preferences, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations, Kansas State Department Of Education – Child Nutrition and Wellness (KSDE) policies, food quality, food safety, production processes, serving methods, purchasing procedure and the list goes on and on. 

Due to the number of meals produced daily – 45,000 breakfast and lunch a day, menu planning must be done by March for the following school year.  Once the menus are done, there is a forecasting team within Nutrition Services that coordinates how much and when deliveries will be.  Then, the district’s Purchasing department is responsible for issuing bids.  Nutrition Services also is assisted by the Supply department because they receive deliveries as well as help with delivery of non-food items.

Through the year, the Nutrition Services staff collects feedback from parents, students and staff to make changes to the menus and improve customer satisfaction while meeting federal regulations.  Staff is continually looking for new and innovative foods to offer to the students.  When a product is found, students are involved in the sampling process before a product makes it to the menu. 

Meal Service

How do the students go through serving lines to make their choices?

Watch the videos below on how students use choices to make healthy meals.
Choices Video - Elementary Breakfast

Choices Video - Elementary Lunch

Choices Video - Middle School Lunch

Choices Video - High School Lunch

Lunch

“Offer” increases the choice in student meals.  Every lunch is planned to include all five food components: 

1. Fruit   
2. Vegetable   
3. Protein   
4. Grains   
5. Milk

The food components for each meal will be posted at the beginning of each serving line.  Students are encouraged to take all the foods offered; however, students may decline up to two (2) food components.  Whether students take 3, 4, or 5 of the food components, the meal is the same price.

 "Offer” allows students to build a healthy meal by selecting 3 to 5 different food components.  One of those food components must be fruits, vegetables or a combination of both.

STEP 1:  Choose ½ cup of fruits, vegetables or a combination of both.

STEP 2:  Choose 2 or more of the following:

• Full Serving of Fruit – K-8 (1/2 cup) and 9-12 (1 cup)
• Full Serving of Vegetables – K-8 (3/4 cup) and 9-12 (1 cup)
• Grains
• Protein
• Milk

 

Example Menu:

• Hamburger on a Bun (Protein and Grains)
• Broccoli (Vegetable)
• Grapes (Fruit)
• Milk (Milk)

Students can take all five food items (hamburger, bun, broccoli, grapes and milk) OR

STEP 1:  Choose ½ cup of broccoli or ½ cup grapes or ¼ cup each broccoli and grapes

STEP 2:  Choose 2, 3 or 4 full servings of different food groups:

• Hamburger on Bun (protein, grains) or
• Full serving of Grapes and Milk (fruit and milk) or
• Hamburger on Bun and Milk (protein, grains, milk) or
• Hamburger on Bun, Broccoli and Milk (protein, grains, vegetable, milk)

The choice is up to each individual student; just be sure to choose the ½ cup fruit or vegetable and 2, 3, or 4 full servings from the 5 food groups. Check the menu daily so you will know which items in the school lunch you want to eat. 

Breakfast

Every breakfast is planned to include three food components: 

1. Fruit/Vegetable 
2. Grains (with optional Protein) 
3. Milk. 

At least four food items will be offered daily.

The food components for each breakfast will be posted at the beginning of each serving line.  Students are encouraged to take all the foods offered.  Students must take at least 3 items; one of those must be a ½ cup of fruit or juice.  Whether 3 items or more is taken, the meal is the same price. 

“Offer” allows the student to choose 3 or more food items they would like to take to build a healthy reimbursable meal.

STEP 1:  Choose ½ cup of fruit or juice

STEP 2:  Choose two or more of the following:

• Grains (1oz equivalent) or optional meat (1oz)
• Milk (1 cup)
• Additional Fruit Serving (1/2 cup)

 Example Menu: 

• Cereal (grains) & String Cheese (protein) (2 items)
• Banana (fruit)
• Orange Juice (fruit)
• Milk (milk)

Students can take all food items OR choose a combination of any 3 items; one of those must be a fruit or a juice.

 

Example Combinations:

• Cereal and String Cheese, Banana
• Cereal and String Cheese, Banana, Orange Juice, Milk
• Banana, Orange Juice, Milk

 

The choice is up to the each individual student; just be sure to choose the required items.  Check the menu daily so you will know which items in the school breakfast you want to eat.

Click above to learn more!

CACFP is the Child and Adult Care Food Program. It is a Federal program that pays for healthy meals and snacks for children and adults in day care.  CACFP meals are served in pre-k classroom and many afterschool programs.  Serving afterschool meals and snacks attracts students to learning activities that are safe and fun.