In September of 2023, the Wisconsin DPI received a School Breakfast Expansion Grant to improve meal quality and support healthy and appealing breakfasts that meet the current standards and support stronger nutrition standards. Since then, 111 school food authorities subgrants have been made with the aim of reducing added sugar and sodium; increasing and promoting a variety of protein sources; as well as adding more whole grains, milk, fruits, and vegetables.
DPI breakfast specialists offered school food agencies the support they needed to get their programs off the ground. Education and training helped each agency develop individualized plans to improve the nutritional quality of their school breakfast meals. An important part of these preparatory sessions was facilitating peer to peer idea exchanges, collaboration, and growing relationships between folks from across the state. Sessions included:
- Nutrition education
- Marketing
- Determining food cost and meals per labor hour
- Equipment
- Smoothies
- Standardizing recipes and much much more.
A year into the two-year grant period, school food agencies are seeing the fruits of their labor. During the first two months of the school year thus far, local programs have created promotion and new menu taste testing open house events.
The passion, drive, and creativity of Wisconsin’s school food service directors and school nutrition professionals has been on full display. There are many hurdles to tackling scratch cooking and implementing program changes. These grant funds have helped temporarily assisted districts with the challenges of rising food costs, obtaining administrative support, and labor shortages.
Kudos to the DPI Nutrition Breakfast team, and to all the amazing professionals across Wisconsin who are making sure that our students can have healthy, yummy meals to feed their learning at school.