Farm to School

We are committed to using local sources for fresh fruits and vegetables, and other food items manufactured near Merrill.  In addition to having our suppliers source local products, we encourage local farmers and companies to contact us if you would like to help supply students with fresh from the farm products.

We have identified the items that can be purchased locally from Wisconsin Farms during their growing season and will source them locally when available.  Students will be able to see the name of the farm and where it is located when we feature farm fresh products.

We are excited to bring the freshest possible fruits and vegetables and use Wisconsin Family farms as much as we can during the school year.

The USDA has just released new Nutrition Standards for School Breakfast and Lunch programs that begin taking effect next school year.  The new standards are designed to meet recommended quantities for 24 key nutrients based on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.  As in the past, school meals need to meet specific menu planning requirements as well as nutrition standards that are measured by the foods students eat on a weekly basis. 

In the regulations for next year, major changes have been made to increase the amounts of fruits and vegetables served each day to specify quantities that must be served of dark green vegetables, orange vegetables, legumes and leafy salad greens.  Milk served must be skim or 1%, and at least half of the grains served must be whole grain rich.  Beginning in July of 2014, all grains must be whole grain rich.   Nutrient standards now will specify nutrients based on three age groups (K-5, 6-8, and 9-12 grades). 

Your food service program has already been working on moving toward these new standards, by offering our Fruit and Vegetable Bars, Harvest of the Month featured items and serving whole grains when available.  We have introduced many new recipes made from scratch to incorporate legumes and a variety of vegetables.  We already serve skim and 1% milk, and use low sodium products which will help us meet the new requirements. 

You will continue to see changes to our menus as we implement the new standards.  As always, we are committed to providing you the highest quality and most nutritious meal for the best value possible, and we appreciate the opportunity to serve you and your family.  

We will be adding more new entrees, salads and sandwiches made from scratch on our menus.  Offering alternate choices gives parents peace of mind that their student will find an entree that they will enjoy, and allow us to introduce new recipes to students.  Salads such as our Buffalo Chicken Wrap or Cobb Salad, and new recipes like Carne Italiano Stromboli and Chicken Divan are made with whole ingredients instead of processed food items.  We understand that changing kids eating habits cannot happen overnight, but we feel it is our responsibility to expose them to a healthier menu, and encourage them to try new things.

Here are some examples of new items you will see on the menu this fall.