School nutrition programs in Massachusetts are working hard to meet the challenges of expanding school breakfast, reducing food waste, and more, according to our roundup of recent news. Schools and districts are also working to overcome obstacles, and many are being recognized for their efforts:
- Food service directors from Ashland, Framingham, Marlborough and Milton weighed in on the challenge of boosting school breakfast participation in an article from MetroWest Daily. Successful approaches appear to be those tailored to the unique infrastructure of each school.
- Let’s Move spotlighted Somerville Public Schools as a model for farm-to-school programs on their blog. SPS has implemented the program in K-12 Food & Nutrition Services to increase students’ interest in healthier food choice.
- Let’s Move also featured Natick’s Memorial Elementary School as an Active Schools success story. Their “BOKS” program brings before-school exercise sessions and during-school “activity bursts” thanks to a collaborative effort by parents, teachers, and/or staff members.
- The Eagle Tribune reports that new school-food guidelines are resulting in increased food waste in Methuen schools. Director of school nutrition services Mike Vespa said staff input and trial-and-error to fine-tune menus has cut down on food-waste volume compared with the beginning of the school year.
We know your school or district has been busy this year, and we’d love to hear about it in the comments, or submit your story to be featured among JSI Success Stories!
