Why School Meals?

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers the meals program in Georgia Public Schools through the State Department of Education's Nutrition Division.  The "Offer vs. Serve" meals provision was first developed and instituted in the early 1980s by the USDA to help prevent waste in the meal service program.  Under this provision, students are "offered" all five of the required meal components (1. one meat/meat alternate (like cheese), 2. one bread or grain, 3. one fruit, 4. one vegetable, and 5. eight ounces of fluid unflavored milk), and the students select the three to five meal components they want instead of being automatically "served" all of the components.

In the Clayton County Public Schools, we believe that a complete meal comprised of all five food components provides better nourishment for our students.  We are committed to doing our part to help prepare the students to learn by providing nourishment or fuel for their brains and their bodies.  A hungry child cannot learn as well.  For this reason, we offer students their choice of 2 to 3 entrees or protein items, 1 to 2 breads or grains, 1 to 2 fruits, 2 to 3 vegetables, and 4 to 5 different types or flavors of milk.  Of these choices, students are encouraged to select a full meal that consists of all 5 food components.  A complete meal of 5 components might consist of a piece of barbequed chicken (meat/protein), a homemade yeast roll (bread), a serving of Blue Lake green beans (vegetable), a Red Delicious apple (fruit) and 8 ounces of low-fat, grade A chocolate milk.  This is a complete meal according to the USDA Federal Guidelines.

In the "Offer vs. Serve" provision, students are "offered" choices of all the different meal components, but can refuse up to 2 items and still be counted as a complete meal for Federal reimbursement purposes.  Students must take at least 3 different food components to be considered a reimbursable meal.  Refusing items does not relieve the students from paying the full price for the meal.

To further clarify the Federal regulation, if a student selects 2 of the same components or items, for example, 2 rolls, 2 apples, or 2 servings of green beans, this would count as only 1 of those respective components.  To ensure that students get more of the daily required nutrients they need in a day, variety is vital.  If students insist on taking less than the required three different minimum components, they will be charged the a la carte meal price, which at times, will be higher than the cost of the full meal, depending on the items selected.  You see, we do not receive any Federal reimbursement for meals that do not meet the minimum USDA Guidelines.  We would appreciate the understanding of the students and parents regarding these provisions. Of course, students can always talk with the Child Nutrition manager in their school for an additional explanation or further assistance.

So, what's the bottom line?  Students must select at least 3 of the different food components offered in the cafeteria daily to be considered a full meal.  And remember, variety is always encouraged to help ensure the full spectrum of vitamins, minerals, and energy needed by healthy, growing bodies.

What advantages are there to eating meals at school instead of brown bagging from home? There are many benefits of eating meals at school. Listed below are just a few

• No Cost
  All student breakfast and lunch meals are provided at no cost to the student.
• Healthy Food
  School meals are prepared with children's health in mind.
  Recipes have been modified to reduce salt, sugar, and fat.  Helping students develop new tastes for healthier foods is one of the program's goals. The Clayton County School System has a Wellness Policy.
• Food is Safe
  Hot food is served hot, and cold food is served cold.
  Our employees are trained in food safety, greatly reducing the risk of contamination.  Many meals packed at home will become contaminated unless held at a proper temperature.  In addition, food served at the proper temperature tastes better.  For more information about food safety, follow these links...
  FightBac.Org
  National Food Safety Education
• Learning Laboratory
  The School Nutrition Program serves as a learning laboratory for students.  A variety of nutritious foods are offered at school.  Many students will not get an opportunity to try these foods anywhere else.  A complete school meal meets the dietary guidelines for healthy students and serves as an excellent example of what a balanced meal should contain.
• Milk is offered at every meal
  Growing children need calcium to develop properly.  By offering milk at both breakfast and lunch, the likelihood that students get adequate calcium increases.
• Convenient
  School meals are convenient.  There are no lunches to pack or worry about getting lost or stolen.  Students can prepay for meals or pay daily.  Eating breakfast at school saves precious time and reduces that morning hassle.