San Francisco School Food News

SFUSD food prep site moves from long-suffering school

2010-08-06T07:19:00.000-07:00

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.

New school lunch updates — Fall 2010

2010-08-04T19:38:00.000-07:00

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.

Middle & high school menus May 14-21

2010-05-17T21:46:00.000-07:00

SFUSD middle and high school cafeteria menus
May 17-21, 2010

All meals served with appropriate buns, condiments and a choice of milk. Menu subject to change.

Monday, May 17
Breakfast: Waffle w/turkey sausage, graham crackers, orange pineapple juice
Lunch: Chicken dippers w/tomato parmesan sauce or sweet & sour brown rice bowl w/chicken & vegetables, salad bar selection, garlic bread (Veg: Mini-cheese ravioli w/Ragu sauce)

Tuesday, May 18
Breakfast: Pancakes, 100% fruit punch, Cinnamon Elf Grahams
Lunch: Swedish meatballs w/green beans or mini-cheese ravioli w/Ragu sauce, salad bar selection, corn muffin

Wednesday, May 19
Breakfast: Bagel w/cream cheese, Honey Belly Bears, grape juice
Lunch: Grilled chicken w/BBQ sauce or turkey hot dog, salad bar selection, Oats & Honey Goldfish (Veg: Low-fat toasted cheese on wheat)

Thursday, May 20
Breakfast: French toast sticks, orange juice
Lunch: Macaroni & cheese w/turkey ham or crispy chicken tenderse, salad bar selection, carrot muffin (Veg: Macaroni & cheese)

Friday, May 21
Breakfast: Chicken biscuit, apple juice
Lunch: Pepperoni pizza (whole wheat crust) or chicken & bean burrito, salad bar selection, mini pretzels (Veg: Cheese Pisa pizza w/whole wheat crust)

Elementary school menus, May 17-21

2010-05-17T21:38:00.000-07:00

SFUSD elementary school cafeteria menus
May 17-21, 2010

All meals served with appropriate buns, condiments and a choice of milk. Menu subject to change.

Monday, May 17
Breakfast: Corn Flakes, Apple Waffle Crackers, fruit punch
Lunch: Chicken dippers w/tomato parmesan sauce, fresh apple, garlic bread (Veg: Mini cheese ravioli w/Ragu sauce)

Tuesday, May 18
Breakfast: Waffle w/turkey sausage, graham crackers, orange pineapple juice
Lunch: Bean & cheese burrito, buttered corn, fresh orange wedges

Wednesday, May 19
Breakfast: Apple fruit muffin, 100% fruit punch
Lunch: Grilled chicken patty w/green beans, fresh banana (Veg: Low fat toasted cheese on wheat)

Thursday, May 20
Breakfast: Chicken biscuit, apple juice
Lunch: Macaroni & cheese w/turkey ham, cucumber sticks, pineapple tidbits, Cinnamon Elf Grahams (Veg: Macaroni & cheese)

Friday, May 21
Breakfast: Kix cereal (low sugar), Strawberry Waffle Crackers, strawberry kiwi juice
Lunch: Pepperoni pizza (whole wheat crust), baby carrots, fresh grapes, Cinnamon Belly Bears (Veg: Cheese Pisa pizza w/whole grain crust)

Middle & high school menus May 10-14

2010-05-10T16:37:00.000-07:00

SFUSD middle and high school cafeteria menus
May 10-14, 2010

All meals served with appropriate buns, condiments and a choice of milk. Menu subject to change.

Monday, May 10
Breakfast: Buttermilk waffle, Honey Belly Bears, orange pineapple juice
Lunch: Wheat penne bake w/meat sauce or bean & cheese burrito, salad bar selection, garlic bread

Tuesday, May 11
Breakfast: Pancake w/turkey sausage, 100% fruit punch, Cinnamon Elf Grahams
Lunch: Chicken tostada boat or teriyaki meatballs w/rice, salad bar selection, corn muffin (Veg: Mini cheese ravioli w/Ragu sauce)

Wednesday, May 12
Breakfast: Bagel w/cream cheese, Honey Belly Bears, grape juice
Lunch: Charbroiled hamburger or grilled chicken w/BBQ sauce, salad bar selection, Cheddar Goldfish crackers (Veg: Low-fat toasted cheese on wheat)

Thursday, May 13
Breakfast: French toast sticks, orange juice
Lunch: Cheese Pisa Pizza (whole wheat crust) or crispy chicken nuggets, salad bar selection, raisin bran muffin

Friday, May 14
Breakfast: Turkey ham & cheese on English muffin, apple juice
Lunch: Santa Fe chicken w/Spanish rice or bean & cheese burrito, salad bar selection, mini-pretzels (Veg: Cheese Pisa pizza w/whole wheat crust)

Elementary school menus May 10-14

2010-05-10T16:36:00.000-07:00

SFUSD elementary school cafeteria menus
May 10-14, 2010

All meals served with appropriate buns, condiments and a choice of milk. Menu subject to change.

Monday, May 10
Breakfast: Kix cereal (low sugar), Strawberry Waffle crackers, strawberry kiwi juice
Lunch: Whole wheat penne w/meat sauce, fresh apple, garlic bread (Veg: Mini cheese ravioli w/Ragu sauce)

Tuesday, May 11
Breakfast: Buttermilk waffle, Honey Belly Bears, orange pineapple juice
Lunch: Chicken tostada boat, jicama sticks, fresh orange wedges (Veg: Bean & cheese burrito)

Wednesday, May 12
Breakfast: Multigrain Cheerios, banana muffin, apple juice
Lunch: Hamburger & corn, fresh organic fruit (Veg: macaroni & cheese w/mixed veggies)

Thursday, May 13
Breakfast: Turkey ham & cheese on English muffin, grape juice
Lunch: Grilled cheese on wheat, peas & carrots, applesauce, Goldfish crackers

Friday, May 14
Breakfast: Crispix cereal, Honey Grahams, apple juice
Lunch: Santa Fe chicken w/Spanish rice, zucchini sticks, fresh pear (Veg: low-fat toasted cheese on wheat)

Middle & high school menus May 3-7

2010-05-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

SFUSD middle and high school cafeteria menus
May 3-7, 2010

All meals served with appropriate buns, condiments and a choice of milk. Menu subject to change.

Monday, May 3
Breakfast: Waffle w/turkey sausage, graham crackers, orange pineapple juice
Lunch: Teriyaki glazed chicken w/fried rice or bean & cheese burrito, salad bar selection, corn muffin (Veg: Breaded veggie nuggets)

Tuesday, May 4
Breakfast: Pancakes, 100% fruit punch, Cinnamon Elf Grahams
Lunch: Chicken & bean burrito or patty melt sandwich, salad bar selection, Apple Cinnamon Multigrain Crisp (Veg: mini cheese ravioli w/Ragu sauce)

Wednesday, May 5
Breakfast: Bagel w/cream cheese, Honey Belly Bears, grape juice
Lunch: Turkey hot dog or spaghetti w/meat sauce, salad bar selection, mini-pretzels (Veg: Macaroni & cheese w/mixed veggies)

Thursday, May 6
Breakfast: French toast sticks, orange juice
Lunch: Orange chicken w/rice or French bread pepperoni pizza, salad bar selection, apple muffin (Veg: Bean & cheese burrito)

Friday, May 7
Breakfast: Chicken biscuit, apple juice
Lunch: Pizza dippers or crispy chicken nuggets, salad bar selection, Cheddar Goldfish crackers

Middle & high school menus April 26-30

2010-04-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

SFUSD middle & high school cafeteria menus
April 26-30, 2010

All meals served with appropriate buns, condiments and a choice of milk. Menu subject to change.

Monday, April 26
Breakfast: Buttermilk waffle, Honey Belly Bears, orange pineapple juice
Lunch: Santa Fe chicken w/Spanish rice or rotini bake w/meat sauce, salad bar selection, garlic bread (Veg: Bean & cheese burrito)

Tuesday, April 27
Breakfast: Pancake w/turkey sausage, 100% fruit punch, Cinnamon Elf Grahams
Lunch: Toasted cheese on wheat or beef soft taco, salad bar selection, mini-pretzels

Wednesday, April 28
Breakfast: Bagel w/cream cheese, Honey Belly Bears, grape juice
Lunch: Turkey hot dog or breaded veggie nuggets, salad bar selection, Raisin Bran muffin

Thursday, April 29
Breakfast: French toast sticks, orange juice
Lunch: Crispy chicken nuggets or macaroni & cheese, salad bar selection, sliced multigrain bread

Friday, April 30
Breakfast: Turkey ham & cheese on English muffin, apple juice
Lunch: French bread pepperoni pizza or bean & cheese burrito, salad bar selection, Honey Belly Bears

Elementary school menus April 26-30

2010-04-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

SFUSD elementary school cafeteria menus
April 26-30, 2010

All meals served with appropriate buns, condiments and a choice of milk. Menu subject to change.

Monday, April 26
Breakfast: Buttermilk waffle, Honey Belly Bears, orange pineapple juice
Lunch: Santa Fe chicken w/Spanish rice, celery sticks, fresh apple, garlic bread (Veg: bean & cheese burrito)

Tuesday, April 27
Breakfast: Pancake w/turkey sausage, Cinnamon Elf Grahams, 100% fruit punch
Lunch: Toasted cheese on wheat, baby carrots, fresh orange wedges

Wednesday, April 28
Breakfast: Bagel w/cream cheese, Honey Belly Bears, grape juice
Lunch: Turkey hot dog & oven potatoes, fresh banana (Veg: Mini-cheese ravioli w/Ragu sauce)

Thursday, April 29
Breakfast: French toast sticks, orange juice
Lunch: Chicken nuggets w/oven potatoes, applesauce (Veg: Breaded veggie nuggets)

Friday, April 30
Breakfast: Turkey ham & cheese on English muffin, apple juice
Lunch: French bread pepperoni pizza, jicama sticks, fresh pear, Honey Belly Bears (Veg: French bread cheese pizza)

Faster lunch lines — just one benefit to prepaying for meals

2010-04-18T22:11:00.000-07:00

SFUSD's new technology allows families to prepay for their students' meals. There are a lot of benefits:

* Lunch lines go faster.
* Kids don't need to carry cash.
* Families don't need to come up with cash daily.
* Caf staff can pay attention to serving food to our kids, not ringing up money.
* Less cash handling means more revenue.

(and more)

The more students eating in the caf who have prepaid, the greater the benefit!

The technology, MealpayPlus, is up and running in all middle and high schools and, as of this week, the following elementary schools:

Alice Fong Yu, Bryant, Buena Vista, Carmichael K-5, Clarendon, Cobb, El Dorado, F.S. Key, Glen Park, Grattan, Hillcrest, Jefferson, John Yehall Chin, Jose Ortega, Lakeshore, Lafayette, Lawton Alternative, Lilienthal, Longfellow, Miraloma, Monroe, Paul Revere, R. L. Stevenson, Rosa Parks, Sherman, Starr King, Tenderloin, Ulloa, West Portal, Willie Brown, Yick Wo, & Visitacion Valley.

It's being expanded to about six more schools every week. The order of schools receiving the technology was determined by logistics like wiring and siting for computer terminals.

If your kids attend the schools that have MealpayPlus and they eat in the caf, or may sometime, please log on at www.mealpayplus.com and register — then make a deposit by credit card, debit card or electronic check. Families that prefer to pay by cash or check may do so at the school.

Also, if you haven't filed a meal application, please do — even this late in the year. This is essential for families who qualify for free/reduced-price lunch, and the only way to ensure that all those families return the form is to ask ALL families to return the form. If you know you don't qualify for free/reduced-price lunch, please just fill in your child's name and school, write "not interested" anywhere on the form, and be sure to sign it. Forms are available from your school office.

SFUSD high school cafeteria menus, April 19-23

2010-04-18T21:52:00.001-07:00

SFUSD high school cafeteria menus
April 19-23, 2010

All meals served with appropriate buns, condiments and a choice of milk. Menu subject to change.

Monday, April 19
Breakfast: Waffle w/turkey sausage, graham crackers, orange pineapple juice
Lunch: Patty melt sandwich or teriyaki glazed chicken w/fried rice, salad bar selection, mini pretzels (Veg: Lowfat toasted cheese on wheat)

Tuesday, April 20
Breakfast: Pancakes, 100% fruit punch, Cinnamon Elf Grahams
Lunch: Cheese piza pizza (whole grain crust) or chicken & bean burrito, dalad bar selection, corn muffin

Wednesday, April 21
Breakfast: Bagel w/cream cheese, Honey Belly Bears, grape juice
Lunch: Grilled chicken w/BBQ sauce or turkey hot dog, salad bar selection, Oats & Honey Goldfish (Veg: Breaded veggie nuggets)

Thursday, April 22
Breakfast: French toast sticks, orange juice
Lunch: Creamy chicken pasta or toasted cheese on wheat, salad bar selection, breadstick

Friday, April 23
Breakfast: Chicken biscuit, apple juice
Lunch: Macaroni & cheese w/turkey ham or crispy chicken tenders, salad bar selection, sliced multigrain bread (Veg: Mini cheese ravioli w/Ragu sauce)

SFUSD elementary school menus April 19-23

2010-04-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

SFUSD elementary school cafeteria menus
April 19-23, 2010

All meals served with appropriate buns, condiments and a choice of milk. Menu subject to change.

Monday, April 19
Breakfast: Crispix cereal, honey grahams, apple juice
Lunch: Patty melt sandwich, oven potatoes, fresh apple (Veg: lowfat toasted cheese on wheat)

Tuesday, April 20
Breakfast: Waffle w/turkey sausage, graham crackers, orange pineapple juice
Lunch: Cheese piza pizza (whole grain crust), baby carrots, fresh orange wedges

Wednesday, April 21
Breakfast: Bagel w/cream cheese, Honey Belly Bears, grape juice
Lunch: Grilled chicken patty w/green beans, organic fresh fruit (Veg: breaded veggie nuggets)

Thursday, April 22
Breakfast: French toast sticks, orange juice
Lunch: Creamy chicken pasta, celery sticks, pineapple tidbits, breadstick (Veg: mini cheese ravioli with Ragu sauce)

Friday, April 23
Breakfast: Chicken biscuit, apple juice
Lunch: Macaroni & cheese w/turkey ham, baby carrots, fresh grapes, mini pretzels (Veg: Macaroni & cheese)

A users' guide to SFUSD school lunches

2010-04-09T14:57:00.000-07:00

What’s for lunch in your San Francisco public schools?

o Lunch is served in the cafeteria at every San Francisco Unified School District school, from kindergarten to 12th grade, during the school lunch periods.

o Lunch is free to students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals, based on the National School Lunch Program meal application. Prices for other students are $2.00 in elementary (K-5) schools, $2.50 in middle (6-8) schools and $3.00 in high schools. There is no singling out or identifying low-income students. The price for adults is $3.50.

o Some examples of lunch menus:
• Orange chicken with rice and vegetables, applesauce and breadstick
• Bean and cheese burrito with buttered corn and orange wedges
• Turkey ham and cheese on whole wheat bread, zucchini sticks and pineapple tidbits
• Patty melt sandwich with oven potatoes and fresh apple

o The meals meet National School Lunch Program nutritional requirements for calories, nutrients, less than 30% calories from fat, and more. Lunches include a fruit, a vegetable, a protein, a grain and milk.

o Salad bars are offered as part of the meal in middle and high schools and some elementary schools; elementary schools without salad bars offer a cut up fresh vegetable —- such as celery, zucchini sticks, jicama, or baby carrots — several days a week.

o Breads, rolls, pasta and pizza crusts are whole grain.

o Dessert is fresh fruit four days a week; the fifth is unsweetened applesauce or pineapple bits packed in juice, not syrup.

o No SFUSD menu items are deep-fried. Potatoes are served only four times a month — always baked, not fried.

o Chicken nuggets — also not fried — are made from whole pieces of breast meat rather than the common chopped-and-formed dark meat.

o SFUSD meals never contain pork or peanut products.

o SFUSD meals contain no MSG, artificial colors, added animal fats or tropical oils.

o A vegetarian entrée is available every day, but should be preordered a few days in advance through the cafeteria staff. About 4 days a month, a vegetarian entrée is offered to all students with no preordering required.

o At high schools, one entrée is always offered that is 50% larger than the others, to make sure larger appetites are satisfied.

o Except for preordering the vegetarian entrée, students do not need to sign up or pay for lunch in advance and may just come to the cafeteria. However, high school and middle school students should have their ID card with them or their PIN number (from the card) memorized.

o The school district’s new cafeteria prepayment program, MealpayPlus, now allows families to prepay for meals to help speed up service and allow the cafeteria staff to focus on feeding the students rather than handling payments. Register and prepay with credit card, debit card or electronic check at www.mealpayplus.com (registration uses the student number, beginning with H-zero, which is on report cards and other school materials).

o Breakfast is also offered in nearly every school. School breakfast and lunch menus are posted on this blog.

o Students must fill out the National School Lunch Program meal application to qualify for free/reduced-price lunch. It’s essential that all families return the form so that low-income students aren’t singled out. The application is available at school offices. Meal applications are distributed and collected at the start of each school year, but may be submitted any time. If there has been a change in family income that may qualify the student, the family is especially urged to file a new application at any time of year. Families that listed temporary income on an application also need to file new applications after 90 days.

Middle & high school menus April 9-16

2010-04-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

SFUSD middle & high school cafeteria menus
April 9-April 16, 2010

All meals served with appropriate buns, condiments and a choice of milk. Menu subject to change.

Friday, April 9
Breakfast: Chicken biscuit, apple juice
Lunch: Chicken tostada boat or mac & cheese, salad bar, apple muffin

Monday, April 12
Breakfast: Buttermilk waffle, Honey Belly Bears, orange pineapple juice
Lunch: Chicken dippers w/tomato parmesan sauce or w/w penne w/meat sauce, sald bar, garlic bread (Veg: Breaded veggie nuggets)

Tuesday, April 13
Breakfast: Pancake w/turkey sausage, 100% fruit punch, Cinnamon Elf Grahams
Lunch: Bean & cheese burrito or sweet & sour brown rice bowl w/chicken & vegetables, salad bar, corn muffin

Wednesday, April 14
Breakfast: Bagel w/cream cheese, Honey Belly Bears, grape juice
Lunch: Charbroiled hamburger or breaded veggie nuggets, salad bar, jungle crackers

Thursday, April 15
Breakfast: French toast sticks, orange juice
Lunch: Orange chicken w/rice or mini-cheese rigatoni w/marinara, salad bar, sliced multigrain bread

Friday, April 16
Breakfast: Turkey ham & cheese on English muffin, apple juice
Lunch: Pizza dippers or rotini bake w/meat sauce, salad bar, carrot muffin

Elementary school menus April 9-16

2010-04-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

SFUSD elementary school cafeteria menus
April 9-April 16, 2010

All meals served with appropriate buns, condiments and a choice of milk. Menu subject to change.

Friday, April 9
Breakfast: Crispix cereal, honey grahams, apple juice
Lunch: Tostada boat, baby carrots, fresh grapes, apple muffin (Veg: cheese pizza)

Monday, April 12
Breakfast: Cornflakes, Apple Waffle crackers, fruit punch
Lunch: Chicken dippers w/tomato parmesan sauce, fresh apple, garlic bread (Veg: Breaded veggie nuggets)

Tuesday, April 13
Breakfast: Buttermilk waffle, Honey Belly Bears, orange pineapple juice
Lunch: Bean & cheese burrito, buttered corn, fresh orange wedges

Wednesday, April 14
Breakfast: Apple fruit muffin, 100% fruit punch
Lunch: Hamburger w/oven potatoes, fresh banana (Veg: Mini-cheese ravioli w/ragu sauce)

Thursday, April 15
Breakfast: Turkey ham & cheese on English muffin, apple juice
Lunch: Orange chicken w/rice & vegetables, applesauce, breadstick (Veg: Bean & cheese burrito)

Friday, April 16
Breakfast: Kix cereal (low sugar), Strawberry Waffle crackers, strawberry kiwi juice
Lunch: Pizza dippers, garden vegetable medley, fresh pear

Our schools lo$e if we don't follow cafeteria rules

2010-03-10T08:24:00.001-08:00

All San Francisco school cafeterias are required to follow all regulations set by the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).

All adults, and student helpers too, are required to follow the rules. (This means teachers, staff, administrators, parents and other volunteers, not just cafeteria workers.)

The NSLP reimburses our school district for meals for low-income students. If an NSLP audit spots violations, the district won’t get the reimbursements. That can cost our district millions of dollars. That money would come from the school district budget — penalizing our students, teachers, classrooms and schools

Spot audits are conducted periodically.

These are some of the federal rules that must be followed in our cafeterias.

— Students of all ages must have lunch cards and must hold the cards themselves. Adults may not hold them. This includes kindergarten!
— Students must be offered at least five food items at lunch, must select at least three items and must do it themselves. Adults may not put items on the trays.
— Trays cannot be pre-filled with meal items and handed to students or placed on tables for them. This includes kindergarten!
— Students must carry their own trays through the line. Adults may not carry them.
— Cafeterias must offer two types of milk.
— No stickers or other marks may be placed on lunch cards to identify low-income students.
— The required “And Justice for All” posters and Wellness Policy must be posted on cafeteria walls.

These regulations are set by the federal government. For more information, go to www.sfusdfood.org. Thank you for your cooperation in helping our school meal program function in accordance with regulations, and without risking fines that jeopardize our children’s educational resources.

S.F. Examiner on MealpayPlus

2010-03-08T14:39:00.000-08:00

MealpayPlus makes the news:

San Francisco Examiner March 6, 2010

Swipe your card, get a meal

Schoolchildren in The City are getting their own form of a debit card to purchase cafeteria food, and the new system will allow parents to track what their kids are eating and should help the cash-strapped school district gain more funding from the federal government for its food needs.

...Parents can prepay for meals on a weekly, monthly or one-time basis using their bank routing number, credit card or debit card, and they can enter payments into an online account that can track a pupil’s history of purchases, along with the type of meals they ordered, said Nancy Waymack, the district’s director of policy and operations.

“If for some reason their child didn’t eat lunch that day, [parents] will know it,” she said.

Among its benefits, the cashless system helps to speed up food lines — which will hopefully lure more students into eating at school cafeterias — and saves on administrative costs, Waymack said.

Read the rest of the article.

(Note: the photo was not taken in a San Francisco school cafeteria.)

Does my school have MealpayPlus yet?

2010-03-05T15:42:00.000-08:00

MealpayPlus, the new online cafeteria prepayment system, is being rolled out in more SFUSD schools week by week, and will be online in every school by the end of the spring semester. Families with children at multiple schools will be notified as this system is rolled out to each site.

Here are SFUSD schools that are online as of March 5, 2010:

All high schools

All middle schools

Bessie Carmichael K-8

Bryant Elementary

Willie L. Brown Jr. Academy

Lawton K-8

Miraloma Elementary

Jose Ortega Elementary

Rosa Parks Elementary

Paul Revere K-8

Tenderloin Community Elementary

West Portal Elementary

Yick Wo Elementary

Alice Fong Yu K-8

Watch for updates as more schools come online!

Questions about MealpayPlus registration? Here's help

2010-03-05T12:55:00.000-08:00

Registering for MealpayPlus should be easy, but if you run into a problem, please call the Mealpay Parent Help desk at (877) 237-0946.

It's lunchtime. Do you know where your lunch money is?

2010-03-04T09:59:00.001-08:00

Now you will. San Francisco school cafeterias have launched a prepayment program called MealpayPlus that will increase convenience for families and speed up lunch lines. Our school district's Student Nutrition Services department encourages families to prepay for students’ school meals by the month, by the week, or on their own schedule.

MealpayPlus allows families to register at www.mealpayplus.com and prepay by credit card, debit card or electronic check online or by phone. Families may also pay by check or cash at school, or may choose to send checks by mail. MealpayPlus will also allow families, including those who qualify for National School Lunch Program free or reduced-price meals, to view their students’ history of purchases in the cafeterias, so parents can see what their child is eating.

Other benefits of MealpayPlus include eliminating the need for children to carry cash to school, reducing cash losses, and helping the district meet all requirements set by the National School Lunch Program. The technology is now up and running at all SFUSD middle and high schools, and is going online at several elementary schools a week. It will be completed in all San Francisco public schools by the end of the school year. Families will be notified by their children's schools when the program is online at each school.