K-12 Schools

Sustainability

Whitsons wants one-third of its menus to be plant-based by 2025

The foodservice management company will develop new plant-based recipes and tweak some vegetarian dishes to be fully free of animal products.

Operations

LAUSD reaches agreement with union workers

Cafeteria staff and other service employees at the Los Angeles school district are set to receive a 30% wage increase, fully paid healthcare benefits and more.

Director Joe Urban has come up with a menu development process that ensures dishes are both cost effective and exciting for students.

The proposed rule would lower the percentage of low-income students required for schools and districts to participate in the program, which enables serving free meals to all students.

Also in this week’s K-12 legislative update: Pennsylvania looks to continue its universal free breakfast program and a federal bill would require schools to serve soy milk.

The workers, represented by SEIU Local 99, are calling for higher wages, more full-time work and increased staffing levels.

Over 23 million breakfasts have been served to students through the program, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

The state would join California, Maine and Colorado in offering universal free meals at school.

A recent survey showed that 126 school districts in the state have accumulated a total of $1,414,122.86 in current unpaid school meal debt as of March 2023.

A new report by the Food Research and Action Center shows that breakfast and lunch participation during the 2021–2022 school year was higher than that of pre-pandemic levels.

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