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Great
Meal Planned by Nutrition Experts
School meals are planned
by Registered Dietitians.
Our delicious, healthy
meals are served to nearly 86,000
students every day.
MENU PLANNING PROCESS
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Food vendors
are invited to our annual
"New Product
Preview" which is held at the Cobb County Civic
Center in late January or early February. Vendors show us
their latest and greatest products. Cobb students (and adults)
attend and provide feedback on items they like and do not like.
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Bid
specifications are written for the products that students
most prefer on the current year's menu, as well as those new items
selected at the New Product Preview.
-
A taste-testing
panel, consisting of students, principals, parents, Cafe
Managers and FNS Office staff, participate in the tasting of
food items from the vendors who submit samples.
-
Bids
are awarded to the vendors who have the highest quality
products and best prices. All of our bids are annual bids,
except produce. For more information regarding food bids, you
may contact
June
Wolfenbarger, our purchasing agent.
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The menus for the
next school year are then finalized by the Area Coordinators (who
are all Registered Dietitians), based on the awarded bid items and
the following menu criteria:
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Quality
-
Taste,
Appearance, and Overall Acceptability
-
Food Cost
Benchmarks - The average
cost per meal must meet established benchmarks.
-
USDA Commodity
Allocations - Foods donated
by the USDA are incorporated into the menus on a daily
basis. These food items are high quality foods that meet or
exceed food quality standards.
-
Nutritional Value
- All school menus must
meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Lunch menus should meet 1/3 of the
student's nutritional needs. Breakfast should meet 1/4 of the
RDA's and caloric needs.
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Federal
Reimbursable Meal Requirements
-
Cobb
County follows the National School Breakfast and Lunch Patterns
for Enhanced Food-Based Menus.
These requirements for Lunch:
- Meat/Meat
Alternate: 2 oz. serving
- Grains/Breads:
Minimum 1 serving per day (grades K-6, 12 servings per
week,
grades 7-12, 15 servings per week)
- Vegetables/Fruits:
At least 2 different fruits and/or vegetables must be offered
daily.
(grades K-6, total of 3/4 cup per day, plus an
additional 1/2 cup per week
grades 7-12, total of 1 cup per day)
- Milk:
8
oz. serving (all grade levels)
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