Students at Visitation Valley Middle School will have an easier time hearing what's going on in class this school year, when the production facility for the SFUSD school lunch program moves from their campus to a new site in Brisbane on August 6.
The giant 18-wheeler trucks currently delivering all district meals and supplies to the Viz Valley campus will no longer be rattling across their schoolyard from 6am on. Three giant refrigeration units which held the district's meals, and created a racket which drifted into classrooms, will be gone as well.
The new 22,500 square foot state-of-the-art Brisbane facility, owned and operated by SFUSD's meal provider Preferred Meal Systems, allows all production site work to be
done in a climate controlled environment. Food and supplies will be received from loading docks and quickly moved to proper refrigeration in a completely food-safe environment.
All government-required Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) food safety procedures can be easily followed in the new facility, something which provided enormous challenges at the 1,000 square foot Viz Valley site. The lack of facilities at Viz Valley was problematic not only for ensuring health and safety of students, but also for employees working at the site. All those employees have been reassigned to other positions within Student Nutrition Services, with no layoffs or reductions in hours.
The new production facility will be able to provide backup meals and supplies which can quickly be delivered to sites when shortages arise, so students should no longer see last-minute menu substitutions. The Brisbane site also will house enough emergency meals for the entire district in the event of catastrophe; for example, if a massive power failure resulted in many schools being unable to heat up their meals, the emergency meals, which are designed to be served right off the shelf, could quickly be provided so that students would not be left with no lunch. The smaller Viz Valley facility was not able to handle either situation adequately.
But for the students of Viz Valley, the peace and quiet resulting from no longer having to share their school with the production site for the largest public feeding program in San Francisco is the best news of all.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
New school lunch updates — Fall 2010
Please feel free to share with your school groups
As students head back to school, there is good news on the school lunch front.
All lunches served in the SFUSD now meet the Gold Standard of the USDA's
Healthier US Schools Challenge. Meals will include more dark green and orange
vegetables, such as spinach, sweet potatoes, collards, and broccoli, and more
legumes. Brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and whole grain breads will continue.
Even the breadcrumbs on the ever-popular chicken nuggets will be whole grain
— and the chicken is made from whole pieces of breast meat, not "chopped
and formed" dark meat, and baked, not fried. More varieties of fresh fruit will be
available as well as a few more choices of cut up fruit (in its own juice, never
syrup.) More salad bars will open at the few middle and high schools which don't
already have one. The middle and high school salad bars will have added choices,
including corn and beans daily. Schools without salad bars will see installation
of a dome covered server for fresh leafy greens right in the lunch line, and a
wider variety of fresh raw vegetables changing daily. Beginning in October, all
schools will offer new entrée choices featuring more whole grains, legumes, and
dark green/orange vegetables.
At the middle and high schools, the old system, which provided cafeteria service
of government-reimbursed meals in one line and other a la carte selections
available for purchase in a different line, has been eliminated. The new system
offers more choices, all of which are available to all students, including
low-income students who receive free lunch. All items are now sold as complete
meals, which under federal requirements means they are all now available to
students who qualify for free lunch. Students may select traditional cafeteria
options with a salad bar, or choose from options like freshly made sandwiches,
rice bowls, pizza or bagel with sun butter. All entree items will include
vegetables, fruit, and milk for $3, or free to low-income students.
Of course, all of this better food comes at a cost. Studies show that healthier
food costs more than junk food, and that the price difference is increasing.
In addition, new federal regulations are expected to require that paid meals (purchased by non-low-income students) not be priced below the amount the government provides as reimbursement for a free meal for a low-income student. As a result, the price for paid lunch will now be $3 at all levels; breakfast price will remain at $1.50 and adult meals also will not increase ($2 for breakfast and $3.50 for lunch.)
SFUSD families may now prepay for students' cafeteria meals — by the month, by
the week or on their own schedule. The new MealpayPlus program allows families
to register at www.mealpayplus.com and conveniently prepay by credit card, debit card or electronic check online or by phone. MealpayPlus speeds up service in the cafeteria and eliminates the need for kids to carry lunch money to school. Families may also pay by check or cash at school, or may choose to send checks by mail. MealpayPlus also allows families, including those who qualify for free meals, to view their students' history of cafeteria purchases. You will need
your student's ID number or H0 number, which is found on report cards and other
school materials, or may be obtained from your school office.
As students head back to school, there is good news on the school lunch front.
All lunches served in the SFUSD now meet the Gold Standard of the USDA's
Healthier US Schools Challenge. Meals will include more dark green and orange
vegetables, such as spinach, sweet potatoes, collards, and broccoli, and more
legumes. Brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and whole grain breads will continue.
Even the breadcrumbs on the ever-popular chicken nuggets will be whole grain
— and the chicken is made from whole pieces of breast meat, not "chopped
and formed" dark meat, and baked, not fried. More varieties of fresh fruit will be
available as well as a few more choices of cut up fruit (in its own juice, never
syrup.) More salad bars will open at the few middle and high schools which don't
already have one. The middle and high school salad bars will have added choices,
including corn and beans daily. Schools without salad bars will see installation
of a dome covered server for fresh leafy greens right in the lunch line, and a
wider variety of fresh raw vegetables changing daily. Beginning in October, all
schools will offer new entrée choices featuring more whole grains, legumes, and
dark green/orange vegetables.
At the middle and high schools, the old system, which provided cafeteria service
of government-reimbursed meals in one line and other a la carte selections
available for purchase in a different line, has been eliminated. The new system
offers more choices, all of which are available to all students, including
low-income students who receive free lunch. All items are now sold as complete
meals, which under federal requirements means they are all now available to
students who qualify for free lunch. Students may select traditional cafeteria
options with a salad bar, or choose from options like freshly made sandwiches,
rice bowls, pizza or bagel with sun butter. All entree items will include
vegetables, fruit, and milk for $3, or free to low-income students.
Of course, all of this better food comes at a cost. Studies show that healthier
food costs more than junk food, and that the price difference is increasing.
In addition, new federal regulations are expected to require that paid meals (purchased by non-low-income students) not be priced below the amount the government provides as reimbursement for a free meal for a low-income student. As a result, the price for paid lunch will now be $3 at all levels; breakfast price will remain at $1.50 and adult meals also will not increase ($2 for breakfast and $3.50 for lunch.)
SFUSD families may now prepay for students' cafeteria meals — by the month, by
the week or on their own schedule. The new MealpayPlus program allows families
to register at www.mealpayplus.com and conveniently prepay by credit card, debit card or electronic check online or by phone. MealpayPlus speeds up service in the cafeteria and eliminates the need for kids to carry lunch money to school. Families may also pay by check or cash at school, or may choose to send checks by mail. MealpayPlus also allows families, including those who qualify for free meals, to view their students' history of cafeteria purchases. You will need
your student's ID number or H0 number, which is found on report cards and other
school materials, or may be obtained from your school office.
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