Blog
Follow the ABCs of School Nutrition blog to see what school nutrition programs in Illinois are doing and get new ideas! Here we will talk about everything from Illinois State Board of Education updates to food waste prevention strategies.
Have an idea for a blog post? Drop us a line at schoolnutrition@illinois.edu .
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Published: May 21, 2024Sorting through the USDA Final Rule: What stays the same, what’s different, what’s new? (Part 3!)The USDA recently released its Final Rule, “Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020-2025 DGAs.” In Part 3 of this series, we’re sharing more important updates that will impact Illinois school nutrition programs.
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Published: May 8, 2024Sorting through the USDA Final Rule: What stays the same, what’s different, what’s new? (Part 2!)The USDA recently released its Final Rule, “Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020-2025 DGAs.” In Part 2 of this series, we’re sharing more important updates that will impact Illinois school nutrition programs.
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Published: April 25, 2024Sorting through the USDA Final Rule: What stays the same, what’s different, what’s new?The USDA recently released its Final Rule, “Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020-2025 DGAs.” It can be a lot to read through, so we’re sharing some of the most important aspects that will impact school nutrition programs.
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Published: November 18, 2023Why manage school food waste? Here are 4 great reasons.Up to 7 billion school meals are served each year, yet school nutrition programs often generate a lot of waste that ends up in the landfill.
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Published: October 21, 2023Strategies to slash sodium: Label reading and balancing the menuLabel reading is an essential skill to identify sodium in foods and find ways to balance it as part of a meal.
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Published: March 13, 2023Cycle menus offer big benefits for school nutrition programsMenu planning can be a real challenge, especially if you’re writing menus on a month to month basis. Why consider transitioning to cycle menus?
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Published: October 15, 2022Smart Snacks step-by-step: Is it snack or entree?So your item meets the Smart Snacks general standards – now what?
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Published: October 8, 2022Smart Snacks step-by-step: Start with the general standardsSmart Snacks can get a little complicated, so let's take it step by step.
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Published: October 1, 2022Whether you're new to school nutrition or more seasoned, start smart with Smart SnacksThere’s much more to school nutrition than what’s served on the tray. One thing’s for sure – there are a lot of rules to remember! Whether you’re new to school nutrition or more seasoned (wink), a refresher is always a good idea.
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Published: July 22, 2022What makes a reimbursable breakfast?We recently reviewed what is needed for a meal to be reimbursable. In particular, we got into the details for school lunch. What makes a reimbursable breakfast?
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Published: July 7, 2022What makes a reimbursable lunch?Reimbursable meals are the (whole grain) bread and butter of school nutrition programs. If you're new to school food service, this post is for you!
