Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Announcements from the WI DPI School Nutrition Team (SNT)
Updates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Innovation in Preparation in School Meal Tips
In this edition of Team Nutrition's School Meals Grab n' Go newsletter, we feature quick tips to improve the nutritional quality of your school meals and engage students in fun menu planning and taste-testing activities. Incorporating more scratch menu items, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will not only make school meals tastier and more nutritious for students but may also help you qualify for a Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) Recognition Award! Read on for more information on the HMI Recognition Awards, how to apply for an award, and strategies to take your school meals to the next level!
Strive for Scratch Prepared Items:
- Need some inspiration? Look at the Institute of Child Nutrition’s (ICN) Child Nutrition Recipe Box (CNRB), Chef Ann Foundation’s The Lunch Box, other school districts, popular local restaurants, or food trucks.
- Explore herbs and spices as they are packed with flavor and can reduce the need for added sodium. The Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition’s (CICN) Culinary Quick Bites: Flavor Profiles training series provides strategies to incorporate herbs and spices.
- Use ripe fruit, spices, and extracts to enhance the flavor of baked goods made with less added sugars. For additional ideas, check out Team Nutrition’s Best Practices for Reducing Added Sugars at School Breakfast resource.
Maximize Grain Offerings:
- Incorporate recipes or products that use whole-grain flour, whole-grain pasta, or brown rice. Find recipes by selecting the Whole Grain-Rich category in the CNRB.
- Train staff to ensure best practices for preparation of whole grain-rich items. The CICN has a series of Cooking Grains Training Videos.
- Connect with vendors to explore new whole grain-rich offerings. USDA’s Whole Grain Resource is a guide to assist in determining if a product is whole grain-rich.
Incorporate Local Agricultural Products and USDA Foods:
- Explore availability of local agricultural products and substitute them for non-local items. The ICN’s Shaking It Up! Procuring Lower-Sodium Products worksheets and USDA’s 10 Facts About Local Food in Schools can help you get started.
- Serve local products on the salad bar or as an ingredient in a recipe. USDA’s Procuring Local Foods for Child Nutrition Programs resource includes a section on menu planning that identifies a variety of ways to integrate local products into menus.
- Showcase the local products on your menus to build excitement. USDA’s Farm to School Planning Toolkit includes suggestions to raise awareness of the local products that you serve among students, staff, and parents/caregivers.
Engage Students to Increase Acceptability:
- Educate students about school meals and how they can get involved using Team Nutrition’s How School Lunch is Made and How You Can Help resource.
- Create a few new recipes and ask students to vote for their favorite. Team Nutrition’s Popular Events Idea Booklet and Taste Test Event Resources can help you prepare a successful taste test event.
- Engage students in the marketing of new menu items to assist with student acceptance. The ICN has worksheets that include strategies to involve students. Scroll down to the Student Acceptance of New Lower Sodium Items section.
Get Recognized for Innovation in School Meals!
The Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards are a collection of awards designed to celebrate and share innovative practices taking place across the country!
The Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals Award recognizes school nutrition programs that plan and prepare scratch recipes for school breakfast and lunch. Utilization of local agricultural products or USDA Foods is encouraged.
Award criteria:
- Offering at least 3 new entrees and/or sides prepared from scratch using standardized recipes.
- Providing whole grain-rich items as defined by the Grain Requirements for School Meals.
- Engagement of students in the marketing of the new menu items.
To learn more and access the application portal, visit the Healthy Meals Incentives Webpage.
For application assistance, please email: awards@healthymealsincentives.org
Other Updates and Information
Introducing Wisconsin's Summer EBT Program
Summer EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) is a new program that helps families buy food for their children during the summer. Families will get $120 in benefits for each eligible child to use to buy food. To be eligible for Summer EBT, in general, children must meet the requirements for receiving free and reduced-price meals at school during the 2023-2024 school year. Benefits will start to be sent to families of eligible children in late June.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) will host Summer EBT welcome webinars to introduce you to this brand-new program. In these webinars, we will be giving an overview of how the program works and the ways that you can support families at your schools. We will also reserve time in each webinar for you to ask questions and get them answered. Similar webinars will be held on two different dates (see below). The information that will be presented will be the same across both offerings. As such, you do not need to attend both webinars.
Registration is required to attend a webinar:
Welcome Webinar Offering 1
Meeting: Tuesday, April 9 from 9 - 10:30 A.M. CST
Register Here!
Welcome Webinar Offering 2
Meeting: Wednesday, April 10 from 9 - 10:30 A.M. CST
Register Here!
After the webinars are held, we will send out a summary of what we presented along with information and materials that you will be able to share with families.
If you have any questions about the Summer EBT program, please contact the Summer EBT team at 833-431-2224 or email dhssebtsupport@wi.gov.
Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition (CICN) Webinar- Unlocking the Maximum Potential of Your Combi Oven
Thursday, April 4, 2024
2:00–3:00 PM CST
Speakers: Juan Zamorano and Ryan Yarnell
Join us for our April 2024 webinar and discover practical strategies for maximizing the benefits of Combi ovens in school nutrition programs. Learn how to effectively utilize convection, steam, and combination cooking techniques for various dishes, such as roasting meats and vegetables, and crisping breaded items. Differentiate between manual and programmed modes and gain insights into routine maintenance and troubleshooting to ensure smooth operation. Equip your staff with essential skills and prepare them for success with this equipment. Don't miss this opportunity to elevate your school kitchen's efficiency and productivity! A continuing education certificate will be available 24 to 48 hours after the completion of the webinar.
SNA Key Area(s): 1 – Nutrition 2 – Operations
USDA Professional Standards Code(s): 1100 – Menu Planning, 2100 – Food Productions
Learning Objective(s):
- Identify and apply the key cooking techniques of convection, steam, and combination cooking in a Combi oven to enhance the quality and variety of dishes served in school nutrition programs.
- Differentiate between manual and programmed modes of operation in a Combi oven.
- Recognize when to use each mode of operation in a Combi oven effectively to optimize cooking results and efficiency.
- Describe essential maintenance and troubleshooting procedures for Combi ovens to ensure uninterrupted operation.
Spring VILT (Virtual Instructor-Led Training) Sessions Are Now Open!
The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) is offering virtual training sessions for individuals this spring. There are topics for school nutrition professionals and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) operators. Don't wait, these sessions fill quickly!
Monthly Topics:
April
- Buy American US Agriculture Supporting Healthy School Meal
- Forecasting the Procurement of Foods
- Infant Meal Pattern Requirements
- Norovirus in Schools
May
- Emergency Preparedness - Lesson from Intro to School Nutrition Leadership
- Using Ounce Equivalents for Grains in the CACFP
- Keeping Food Safe - Lesson from Food Safety in Schools
Register Here for more information on the topics and to register for these sessions and email training@theicn.org if your need assistance or have any questions.
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Jill K. Underly, PhD, State Superintendent
125 S Webster Street
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 266-3390 • (800) 441-4563