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What is School Lunch All About?
The
goals of the Milford School Lunch Program are to provide
nutritious, attractive, and tasty meals at an affordable price.
The
National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is governed by federal and
state guidelines set by the US. Dept. of Agriculture and the
State Department of Education. Meals are planned to meet the
Dietary Guidelines for Americans and one-third of the
Recommended Dietary allowances for school-age children.
The
following key nutrients are the focus of our meals:
School meals are planned to encourage children to choose a
variety of foods (an established dietary guideline) by making
food choices on a daily basis. Our entrée, side dishes and milk
choices are offered to help students best meet their recommended
nutrient levels especially for vitamins A, C and calcium.
Support Education
Our
goal is to support education by serving healthy, nutritious
meals to Milford Public School students and other patrons, and to partner
in the educational process though nutrition education and other
outreach programs.
The
Food Services Department serves as the largest "direct to the
customer" support services department in the district: on a
typical day, we happily serve at least one meal (breakfast or
lunch) to approximately 80% of the students enrolled in the
district.
Why is this important?
Numerous studies indicate that students who eat a healthy
breakfast and/or lunch:
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have fewer absences
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perform better academically
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make fewer trips to school nurses
-
have few disciplinary problems
In
short, these studies indicate a direct link between good
nutrition and an increased likelihood of student success.
Clearly, these studies indicate what many parents and educators
already know: hungry children don't learn very well!
Good Nutrition
As
noted above, good nutrition and academic success go
hand-in-hand. Our goal is not only to provide students with
healthy, well-balanced meals, but is also to provide nutrition
education to students so that they are able to make healthy food
choices throughout their lives. Menus are planned so that
breakfast meals provide 1/4 of the nutrients needed daily
according to the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA's) for the
different age groups. Lunches are planned to provide 1/3 of
RDA's. Menus are also planned so that no more than 30 percent
of calories are from fat, with no more than 10 percent of
calories from saturated fat. Sugar and sodium are used in
moderation, and high fiber foods are offered on a daily basis.
Our
goal is to provide students with a healthy, nutritious meal and
educating them on making healthy food choices throughout their
lives. By exposing them to a variety of different foods,
students will learn that there are no such things as "bad" foods
and that when used in moderation, any food can be incorporated
into a healthy diet.
Consistency
The
best organizations and companies deliver consistency as their
number one product. Customers who know that they can "depend"
on a company's product/service tend to be the most loyal and
most satisfied.
Milford's
Food Service Department aims to consistently deliver our product
- delicious, healthy meals - with superior customer service.
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All programs of the U.S. Department of Agriculture are available
to everyone without regard to race, national origin, age, sex or
handicap. If anyone believes that they have been discriminated
against, they should write immediately to the Secretary of
Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250
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