Quick News

  • Registration for the School Nutrition and Industry Partner (SNIP) Conference is open! The SNIP Conference will be held October 22-24, 2025 at the Grand View Lodge in Nisswa, MN. Learn more and register.
  • Directors, it's time to nominate an exceptional industry partner! This is your chance to say 'thank you!' and recognize the efforts of an individual industry member who has demonstrated exemplary support to the school nutrition community. Make your nomination by September 24.
  • Help encourage families to complete the Application for Educational Benefits. MDE has provided resources you can share in your schools and to your families. Check out the flyers, posters, graphics, and social media captions in the Fill the Form toolkit.
  • Thank you for attending MSNA's 68th Annual Conference: Scratching the Surface: The Future is Unlimited on August 3 to August 6 in Rochester! We hope you had an engaging, educational, and energetic time at the Mayo Civic Center. View the conference photos here. For speaker slides and resources, please access the conference app. We hope to see you next year on August 2-5, 2026 at the River's Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud
  • Stay up-to-date on all-things legislative: Bookmark SNA's advocacy webpage and sign up to receive their Tuesday Morning newsletter.
  • Speak up! The House Ways and Means Committee proposed some concerning changes to school meal programs that could limit student access to school meals and administrative costs. We need your help to protect access to nutritious school meals! Tell Congress: Don't cut school meals access for millions of students!
  • Whether you couldn’t attend SNA’s School Nutrition Industry Conference (SNIC25) earlier this year or you simply want to revisit the most valuable education sessions, the Best of SNIC25 Webinar Series brings top-rated presentations directly to you. Sign up for one or more virtual sessions!

Member Spotlight

Paige Albrecht, Nutrition Supervisor, Forest Lake Area Schools. Read about Paige here.

To read past member spotlights, click here. 

Nominate a Colleague You Admire!

Help recognize the hard work of our colleagues in the school nutrition profession who go above and beyond. The MSNA and SNA Awards programs highlight the outstanding and important work of our members and state affiliates. Members and state associations are eligible for a variety of honors that recognize their achievements in school foodservice, leadership, membership recruitment and professional development. Nominations for 2026 will open fall 2025.

MSNA Members in the News

9/9: Ashley Schneider, MSNA President-elect and Director of Food Services for Moorhead Area Schools, joined FOX 9 to discuss school meal guidelines and the creativity of school meal programs.

9/7: How have schools adjusted breakfast menus to abide by new federal sugar restrictions? MSNA President, Glen Ritter, and MSNA Education Chair, Renee Arbogast, discussed with the Minnesota Star Tribune how their schools have done so.

8/4: MSNA President elect and Food Service Director for St. Michael-Albertville School District, Glen Ritter, spoke about the importance of the Annual Conference with KIMT3 News in this article. Glen also spoke about the new changes to school meals - watch the video here.

8/4: Both Kelsea Desrocher, Food Service Director for Verndale Public Schools, and Glen Ritter, MSNA President elect and Food Service Director for St. Michael-Albertville School District, were interviewed by KIMT3 News during the Annual Conference. Watch the interviews here.

8/3: MSNA President and Nutrition Director for Prior Lake-Savage Schools, Emily Malone, was interviewed during the Annual Conference by KTTC News, speaking on free meals, farm-to-school, and more. Emily also spoke live on the exhibit floor with KTTC, even taste-testing a sample from an exhibitor!

5/16: The nutrition staff of Willmar Public Schools' Lakeland Elementary School was named the 2025 MSNA Hero Site Award recipient. The West Central Tribune as well as Lakeland Media describes how this team earned this honor.

5/14: "I’ve often said that being a teacher is like being the parent in the building, but being the lunch lady is like being the cool aunt—we get to have fun, show kindness, and make sure every student feels welcome." Roseville Area Schools Nutrition Services Coordinator Stacey Gaetz has been named the 2025 School MSNA Lunch Hero Award. The Roseville Reader covers the story here.

5/6: Jennifer Walters, Director of Nutrition at Winona Area Public Schools, was named the 2025 Minnesota Director of the Year. The Post Bulletin and the Winona Post detail her contributions to her district and MSNA.

5/2: On School Lunch Hero Day, a hero at Centennial Middle School in Lino Lakes, Barbi King, was awarded the midwest region Employee of the Year by the School Nutrition Association (SNA). Watch Barbi in action here.

4/9: Darcy Stueber, Director of School Food Service for Mankato Schools and MSNA Public Policy Chair, testified before the Minnesota House Education Finance Committee to advocate for the preservation of dedicated school nutrition funds. Watch Darcy's testimony here.

Find past news stories here!