EPISD Food Service Tips and Guidelines
EPISD is working hard to make sure that our students have the fuel to get through their busy days.
These tips and guidelines keep EPISD compliant in state and federal policy, but also keeps our students as the main priority.
We are fortunate to not only have 1 but 2 complete meals provided free of cost, so let’s take advantage of it!
The opportunities keep coming here at EPISD and they aren’t stopping.
The district is also inviting parents to come eat with their children during lunch for a small fee.
Tip 1: Food Groups
Here at EPISD, there are 5 food groups offered. Fruits,
Vegetables, Grains, Protein, and Milk are all offered during your lunch. Examples
of Fruits are bananas, apples, and oranges. Vegetables can range from broccoli,
carrots, corn, to even French fries. Milk is offered at lunch as well in either
white or chocolate flavored. Other
examples of the food groups can be Grains found in your pasta, buns, and even
the crust on your pizza. The final food group is Protein and you can find it in
chicken nuggets, hamburgers, yogurt and cheese.
Tip 2: Reimbursable Meal
In
our school district, every student is offered what is called a reimbursable or
“free” meal. The guidelines are in place for this to continue being offered,
however if any may be violated not only would the student lose this privilege
but the district as a whole.
Tip 3: Meal Pattern
As part of the National School Lunch Program, a student must
be offered the 5 food groups. In turn, the student must have at least 3 of the 5
food groups with either fruit of vegetable for it to be considered a full meal.
These meals must also meet the daily/weekly serving sizes. At breakfast, 4 components are offered of which 3 must be
selected to be considered a full meal. This means they are offered fruit,
grain, and milk. Meat/meat alternate may be offered after minimum grains
requirement per day are met. At lunch, all 5 components are offered of which 3
must be selected to be considered a full meal.
Tip 4: Competitive Foods
Competitive
foods are any food or drink that does not correlate with the meal pattern or
causes competition with the meals served during breakfast and lunch. The Competitive Food Nutrition Standards apply only to food
and or beverages sold during the school day on the school campus like vending
machines or group fundraisers. With that being said, no sales are allowed
throughout the school day. A school day is constituted by the time to bell
rings to begin school to when it rings for it to end. The Competitive Food
Nutrition Standards do not apply to sales done 30 minutes before the 1st
bell and 30 minutes after the bell to end the day. Vending machines must be
turned off during lunch time. If a school is found not in compliance with the
Competitive Food Nutrition Standards runs the risk of losing their reimbursable
lunch. Smart Snacks are available throughout the school day.
For
more information, on what constitutes a Smart Snack or to gain a deeper
understanding of the meal pattern please contact the Food Service Department at
758-7088.
