A school meal renewal is happening in GISD, thanks to the district’s Student Nutrition Services Department. With new menu items, Texas-grown produce and seasonal offerings featured in cafeterias districtwide, it is no wonder the group is receiving state and national acclaim. SNS was ranked as one of Texas’ best school food service programs by CHILDREN AT RISK, and was a national winner in the 2017 PepsiCo Recipe Contest.
“Access to healthy school meals is critical to the success of our children,” said president and CEO of CHILDREN AT RISK Bob Sanborn. “Students who are not hungry and have eaten nutritious meals are healthier and ready to learn. The school districts at the top of our rankings are doing the very best at making sure low-income students have one of the most important tools they need to be successful in the classroom.”
The nonprofit organization released its top School Meal Rankings last month. GISD took sixth place in the medium-income school district category and seventh in the large school district category. Statewide rankings were calculated on a weighted scale based on four factors, including school breakfast and lunch participation.
SNS is not only passionate about making sure all students have access to healthy, filling meals. The department is also innovative and progressive, which led to its 2017 PepsiCo Recipe Contest third-place title. SNS Culinary Supervisors Marc Hagen and Anna Smith submitted the winning recipe—Frito Loco Chicken Ranch Taco—one of many delicious meals created in-house.
In fact, GISD’s test kitchen regularly samples tasty, out-of-the-box items such as cheeseburger tater tots, Baja fish tacos and Thai chili chicken flatbread. SNS is sure to continue its excellence in the culinary field with programs such as Breakfast in the Classroom, free meals for all at 23 campuses, monthly birthday celebrations, and Farm-to-School initiatives.
Keep up with SNS news and updates by following them on Twitter @gisdnutrition. And, access daily menu items and nutritional information by downloading the MealViewer app for smartphones at bit.ly/GISDmeals.
Information and photo provided by Garland ISD.