Minnesota School Nutrition Association

School Lunch Lowdown!

msna — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:45:03 +0000

Minn Local News: School lunches get a bad rap, from being called unhealthy to unpleasant tasting.

First, the trusty old food pyramid got a makeover into the newer “MyPlate” campaign that went into effect at the beginning of 2011. Then, as 2011 came to a close, school lunch’s reputation was put under a microscope when Congress chose to continue using its current guidelines versus implementing a new proposal. That sent people clamoring through the media world appalled that school lunch directors could count pizza and French fries as a vegetable.

Somewhere in the middle of all the hype and stereotypes lies the truth.

Overseen by Child Nutrition Programs Director Allison Bradford, Anoka-Hennepin School District has made great efforts to balance taste and health for their students. They made some revisions to the lunch menu at the start of the 2011-12 school year that have not gone unnoticed by the students who are meant to eat them.

Click here to continue reading

Richfield Students Find Healthier Meals In Lunch Line

msna — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:34:35 +0000

BY andrew wig – SUN NEWSPAPERS

Karen Sherman saw the commotion in the corner of the lunchroom and went to investigate. Turned out, there was no trouble. Everything was fine, but there was new artwork to check out.

“They were all gathering around these posters. They were so excited,” said the head cook at Richfield Dual Language School.

The posters are one prong of Richfield Public Schools’ recent push to put healthier food in front of students – and get them to eat it. To read more click here

The MSNA Mentorship Network Program Has Launched!

msna — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 14:38:31 +0000

The MSNA Mentorship Network program has launched! This is a group of volunteer School Food Service Directors and Cook Managers that will provide much needed support to MSNA members by sharing their knowledge, insights, skills, and experiences with peers who are new to the field or someone seasoned who may just have questions in a particular area.

Mentoring in its purest form is helping someone learn something new. The MSNA Mentorship program will allow members to choose a mentor that has the experience, knowledge and skills in all the Key Areas of service. Administration, Operations, Communications/Marketing and Nutrition & Nutrition Education. MSNA Mentors are made up of Directors, Assistant Directors, Supervisors and Manager/ Head Cooks that are ready to share their knowledge, insights, skills and experiences with a peer who is new to the field and help them develop a higher level of expertise.

Check out the mentors and all the available options on the MSNA Webpage under training. Please contact Mentors directly to inquire about mentorship.