What menu substitutions would your school nutrition program make for this scenario? Spinach salad and red pepper strips are on Tuesday’s lunch menu at Jonestown High School. Due to a vendor delivery issue neither spinach nor red peppers were delivered this week. On October 29th the school nutrition staff from the Dover Sherborn Regional High School and Middle School addressed this scenario and more in the Substitution Solutions Workshop to Go led by JSI presenter, Lynn Petrowski.
To get ready to tackle the above scenario, participants first played a lively game called Meal or No Meal, where they determined if each school lunch tray was reimbursable or not.
The group was then ready to make menu substitutions for real-life school scenarios. A 3-step approach for making substitution solutions was used: 1.) Communicate, 2.) Use the Right Resources, such as the food component and vegetable subgroup chart and the whole grain equivalency chart (at the end of this USDA memo), and 3.) Document on Production Sheets. The group discussed each scenario using the resources provided and previous knowledge to make a solution. The workshop completed with staff being more confident in overcoming future obstacles.
Substitution Solutions is an effective workshop to help school nutrition staff make the correct substitutions for menu items offered in their school lunch program.
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To learn about school nutrition standards and regulations click here.
