Michael Francis, director of School Nutrition Services (SNS) in Spring Branch Independent School District (SBISD), is on a mission to change how students and families think about school-based meals.
"We want to expose students to fresh food and whole ingredients so they learn more about healthy eating and what that really means," Michael said.
As part of SNS's initiative to rejuvenate the school lunch program across SBISD, the department is introducing a range of non-traditional fruits and vegetables. These are foods that students may not have encountered at home, adding an element of surprise and excitement to meals.
For example, in October, SNS integrated blood oranges into the food selections across all campuses—a fun choice to coincide with Halloween and fall activities.
"Blood oranges are something many kids haven't been exposed to at home, which is why we thought it was a great choice for October," Michael said.
Throughout the month, campuses also served strawberry milk to raise awareness for breast cancer awareness month—something that is usually not available.
In November, spinach will be the featured vegetable, followed by sweet potatoes in December. Kiwi will be highlighted in January, Brussels sprouts in February, strawberries in March, nectarines in April, and watermelon in May.
Since introducing a featured fruit or vegetable on school menus, the SNS team has received positive feedback from students and parents alike.
"Students and families are recognizing that we are making a concerted effort to infuse healthy eating into the school day," Michael said. "This is particularly important for our families who take advantage of our three-meal-a-day program, where we serve breakfast, lunch, and supper."
Offering a featured fruit or vegetable each month is just the beginning of SNS's plans to revitalize school meals across SBISD campuses. At some point, Michael hopes to bring on a chef to prepare meals from scratch and even introduce an SNS mascot.
"We want and need to stay innovative in our approach to feeding students, especially with an increased focus on the need to eat fresh food made with clean ingredients," Michael said.