Students in York schools may see some changes in the cafeteria next fall, when they get their meals through a different food service company.
The York school board earlier this month voted to award a contract for the district’s food service to Chartwells, a large food service company. Another food service company, Sodexo, has held the contract for the district’s food service for about 20 years, said Amy Hagner, finance director.
Hagner said Sodexo hasn’t had any competition for York’s food service contract in the past. She said administrators recommended changing to Chartwells for a variety of reasons, including price, marketing and menus.
She said Chartwells offers a lot of marketing ideas to encourage healthy eating among students.
“It’s all about food presentation, marketing, getting the kids excited about nutrition, going through the cafeteria,” Hagner said. “They’ve got all kinds of ideas to get the kids excited about eating and good nutrition.”
Chartwells already serves the Clover school district, and the Clover school board recently renewed its contract with the company.
Hagner said the change involves extra staff support from Chartwell’s, including a dietitian who will serve both York and Clover schools. Food service employees will remain employees of the school district, she said.
Hagner said Chartwells still has to meet federal regulations for school meals, but it might offer some different menu choices.