Did you know Health E-Pro is governed by USDA nutrition standards and must follow specific meal-pattern and nutrition guidelines in order to serve reimbursable meals to our students?
Our job isn’t simply to find food that students will enjoy. We have to balance nutrition, student preferences, regulations AND our budget every single day.
Behind every meal, we’re looking at things like:
- Calories: meals must fall within specific ranges based on grade level.
- Sodium: we have strict limits we have to meet.
- Fats: meals must stay within USDA requirements.
- Added Sugars: we have limits on how much added sugar can be served.
- Meal Components: we have to provide the required fruits, vegetables, grains, milk and meat/meat alternatives.
- Cost: and we’re doing all of this while working with approximately $2.50–$2.80 per lunch to provide a nutritious, appealing meal!
And there’s another challenge…
We want students to actually EAT it!
So our team works hard to find that sweet spot between USDA requirements, nutrition, cost, student preferences and variety.
Every tray represents a lot more planning than you might realize.
We’re proud to serve our students meals that are nutritious, balanced, affordable and made with our students in mind.