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Nutrition services highlights local procurement, new menu items and Iron Chef high‑school competition
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Summary
District nutrition services reported higher-quality, larger-serving high‑school meals, a new local procurement push supported by a competitive grant, and plans for an Iron Chef-style culinary competition May 2; the board was told food-service operations ran a deficit requiring a general-fund transfer in the supplemental budget.
District nutrition staff told the board the 2024–25 year emphasized improved meal quality and larger serving sizes for junior-high and high‑school students, and introduced more scratch-cooked items (for example, homemade dinner rolls and ham-and-cheese items). Staff said those menu changes raised labor and commodity costs and contributed to the food-services deficit included in the supplemental budget.
Local procurement and grant funding: nutrition staff reported the district received a competitive grant (referenced in the meeting as the "pharmacy and P competitive grant," $100,000 awarded) that supported a major local-procurement effort. Using the award, the district purchased roughly 20,000 pounds of ground beef, 5,000 pounds of raw beef patties and about 14,000 pounds of potatoes from local and regional producers this year. Nutrition staff said the district worked with about 19 local and hyperlocal producers, and onboarded several Oregon suppliers (Black Moon Farms, Red Buttes Farm, Rebel Meat Company) to supply cranberries, carrots and beef patties.
Staff said marionberry desserts and spaghetti squash trials were conducted this year; junior-high and high‑school taste tests showed positive reactions. Nutrition staff described ongoing challenges: the district does not have a USDA-inspected processing facility locally, which increases cost and logistics because many producers must drive to Salem or use regional processors for USDA processing. Staff noted hope that a local USDA facility will come online, which would simplify sourcing.
Farm-to-school and community partnerships: staff reported partnerships with OSU Extension, Klamath Grown and local FFA programs; Lost River and Henley FFA supply some products (eggs, pork sausage). Nutrition staff and partners plan events tied to National Beef Month and Jerky Day (May 15) and said this year they can provide jerky for all schools using grant funds.
Iron Chef competition: the board heard details of an Iron Chef-style culinary competition for high-school culinary programs scheduled for May 2 at Henley High School (bus parking lot area). Five teams (Mazama, Chiloquin, Henley, Lost River and Bonanza) will each prepare pork belly and pork shoulder and present dishes to blind judges; teams will work with a community chef and sell tickets as a program fundraiser.
Food service operations: staff discussed differences between 'offer versus serve' and pre-plated 'serve only' models at elementary schools, noting a successful pilot at Henley Elementary that sped service for a 15-minute lunch window and reduced some waste. Staff also said many menu and procurement decisions are governed by ordering cycles (commodity and diversion product orders placed by March) and state/USDA constraints.
Board members thanked staff for the procurement gains and asked follow-up questions about local sourcing logistics, food waste, staffing, and differences between campuses (open vs. closed) that affect meal planning.
