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February 2018
The “Lunch Line” has been on a hiatus for the past several months
while we work on identifying the most effective delivery method. We will
continue with “construction” of this project throughout 2018 to ensure that all
school food service professionals receive the important regulatory information,
educational opportunities and marketing tips that help us do our job with
excellence and pleasure. The new Lunch Line comes in two formats; this digital version that you can browse through on your computer and select just
the topics that are of interest to you, or the PDF version on the School Nutrition Newsletter page, that you can share with staff. Let me know how you like the updated
formats!
Deb Lukkonen, Supervisor
School Nutrition Programs
USDA Food and Product Dates
USDA has reissued a memorandum to clarify policies and
procedures for the storage and transportation of USDA Foods as related to
product end dates, including “first in, first out” procedures. This memo
is available on the USDA website at FD-107
Donated Food Storage, Distribution, and Product Dating (Revised).
Updated Infant and Preschool Meal Patterns
Effective October 1, 2017,
school sponsors who claim meals and snacks for preschool children under the
School Nutrition Programs are required to follow the Child and Adult Care Food
Program (CACFP) meal pattern rules and regulations. USDA recently released a
memo, SP
30-2017, which outlines a new transition period for the CACFP meal patterns.
Read
more about this update.
Meal Pattern Flexibilities
USDA announced in November that
school food service professionals could count on some permanent flexibilities
in meal pattern requirements. The changes reflect USDA’s commitment to develop
forward-thinking strategies to ensure school nutrition standards are both
healthful and practical. The interim final rule is effective through
school year 2018-19. It includes flexibilities on milk fat, grains, and sodium.
Read
more about the interim final rule.
Buying Groups
This USDA memo revises USDA policy and provides questions
and answers about purchasing goods using cooperative services, agents, and
third-party services. View
USDA memo.
USDA Seeks Public Input on Child Nutrition Food Crediting
In a Federal
Register Notice published on December 14, 2017, USDA announced an
information collection on food crediting for Child Nutrition Programs. Child
Nutrition Programs must reflect the meal patterns and nutrition standards set
forth by the USDA in order to claim Federal reimbursement, and crediting is the
process designed by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to specify how individual
food items contribute to those meal patterns. The Request for Information is
intended to help FNS gather feedback from stakeholders on how the crediting
system can be improved and to offer customer service to those operating and
benefitting from the Child Nutrition Programs. Electronic comments are
preferred and may be submitted to the Federal
Register by February 12, 2018. More information can be found in USDA’s press release
as well.
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Breakfast Survey
Have you implemented breakfast in the classroom, grab and
go, or second chance breakfast? Have you incorporated marketing strategies to
promote your school breakfast program? We want to hear about it!
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)’s Team Nutrition
is developing a new resource for the School Breakfast Program. It will
highlight successful school breakfast programs and include contact information
for networking purposes. Stories are being collected online through SurveyGizmo until February 28. Please share you story with us by accessing the School Breakfast Expert Ideas Survey.
Sharing Tables
Share tables are a great way to
reduce food waste; however, it is important to follow all local, state, and
federal food safety regulations. The best way to ensure this is to discuss your
options with your local health sanitarian. Ask what foods are allowed on a
share table, which items can be re-served at the next meal service, and what
safety precautions must be in place. For more information and best practices,
see USDA
memo SP 41-2016. More information will
be posted on MDE’s website soon—stay tuned!
Net Off Invoice
The Minnesota Rebate
Program is being phased out. Allocated 2017-18 rebate pounds should be used as
planned and the 2017-18 rebate claims should be submitted through CLiCS by the
deadline of July 31, 2018. Effective school year 2018-19, NOI will be utilized.
All of our Rebate Program processors will be offering product on the NOI
program. For more information, please
contact the Food Distribution Program.
Commercially Packaged Fruit Cups
Fruit cups (fruit chunks + liquid) must be 4.2 ounces by
weight and applesauce cups must be 4.5 ounces by weight; any amount less does
not credit as a full ½ cup of fruit. As a reminder, a student’s tray must have
at least ½ cup of fruit or vegetable on it in order to claim the meal for
reimbursement. This applies to both breakfast and lunch. Be sure to include
these product specifications when bidding fruit cups and/or applesauce cups.
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 Shelley Whyte Wins Trip to Super Bowl
The National
Football League Legacy Committee honored Shelley Whyte, supervisor at North St.
Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale ISD, with Super Bowl tickets! Shelley was recognized by
the Minnesota Dairy Council for her outstanding work supporting school
nutrition. Shelley is shown with students from the Maplewood Middle School.
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School Breakfast
Mark your calendar for National School Breakfast
Week, March 5-9! This year’s theme, “I Heart School Breakfast,” encourages
parents, students, and school officials to get social over school breakfast.
Speaking a language kids understand, we’re ready to show-and-tell all the
benefits of a healthy school breakfast. For helpful resources, check out
the School
Nutrition Association’s website.
Chefs Move to Schools!
How to Put on a Junior Chef Competition!
Student culinary competitions are becoming a fun and popular
learning tool used by many schools to engage students in creating healthy,
appealing meals. To simplify the planning process and assist schools that may
be interested in hosting a student cooking competition, the Institute of Child
Nutrition, in conjunction with the USDA, has developed the Chefs Move to
Schools: Junior Chef Competition toolkit. Read how to host a competition
event at your school!
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HealthierUS School Challenge:
Smarter Lunchrooms – February 9
Join us for a half-day training to learn how to get recognition (and receive
funding!) for your health and wellness efforts by applying for the HealthierUS
School Challenge: Smarter Lunchrooms (HUSSC: SL) initiative.
This training, held on February 9, walks through the HUSSC: SL application
criteria, provides tips and tricks for applying, and even builds in time for
school health team members to work on the application during the workshop.
Presenters include Gail Anderson, Minnesota Department of Education; Kelly
Kunkel, University of Minnesota Extension and Ann Kisch, Minnesota Action for
Healthy Kids. Upon registration, a pre-training worksheet will be sent. The
training, which recommended for school staff, district staff, teachers, parents
and community members, is offered free of charge and lunch will be served!
Contact Ann Kisch with meal accommodation requests (akisch@actionforhealthykids.org).
When: Friday, February 9, 2018, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Where: Sartell, MN
To register: Visit HealthierUS Workshop Website
Schoolyard
Gardens Conference – March 2
The Schoolyard Garden Conference is taking place at the Minnesota Landscape
Arboretum in Chanhassen on March 2, 2018, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Get the
opportunity to learn from more than 20 different speakers, including
presentations from eight different schools across Minnesota. Whether you’re a
beginner or a veteran school gardener, join the group in March and learn
innovative strategies for building, engaging and sustaining diverse learners in
a thriving schoolyard garden. Register
for the Schoolyard Gardens Conference.
ACDA Conference – April 29-May 2
Join your colleagues for 4 days
of exciting speakers and training sessions in downtown Minneapolis at the
Marriott City Center for the American Commodity Distribution Association (ACDA)
conference. This event is truly a
national conference that is unique among other association events. Naturally,
there are the usual educational and networking opportunities at an ACDA
conference. But rather than being an event where manufacturers and processors,
brokers and distributors showcase their products and services, this conference
convenes in the spirit of cooperation among its members, with everyone focusing
on how to strengthen USDA Food Distribution Programs. View ACDA conference
information.
9th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference – April 25-27
Hosted by the National Farm to School Network, this biennial
event will be held in Cincinnati, Ohio, and convene more than 1,000 diverse
stakeholders working to source local food for institutional cafeterias and
foster a culture of food and agricultural literacy across America. View the Farm to Cafeteria Conference registration
page
to find more information about rates and agenda. New this year are Scholarship
Applications.
“Tuesdays at 2” Webinar Series
Continues
A variety of topics will be offered during this year’s Tuesdays@2 webinar
series. All webinars begin at 2 p.m. and will be 30-60 minutes, unless
otherwise noted. Registration and session information will be posted on
the Training: School Nutrition Programs webpage.
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