Iredell-Statesville staff present school nutrition bids and seek extension of procurement alliance contract

Iredell‑Statesville Schools officials presented recommended vendors and pricing for the district's 2025 school nutrition bids and asked the board to vote on the items at next week's meeting.

The new school nutrition director, Angel Helms, told the Iredell‑Statesville Board of Education that the district solicited three separate competitions this year for milk, ice cream and zero‑sugar soft drinks for high schools. "I am Angel Helms. I'm the new school nutrition director for our state of schools. I came in January," Helms said during the committee meeting.

Helms said the lowest milk price came to 27 cents per serving, with an extended price of $475,425. For zero‑sugar soft drinks for high schools, the district received two bidders: Pepsi and Lamonte LLC; Lamonte submitted pricing for the wrong bottle sizes (7‑ and 12‑ounce) and was higher, so Helms recommended Pepsi's 20‑ounce bid at $11.50 per case. On ice cream, Hershey was the only responsive vendor with Smart Snacks–approved items, with serving prices between $0.38 and $0.68 and an extended price of $40,607.19.

Helms also requested board approval to extend the district's use of the North Carolina Procurement Alliance (NCPA), which she described as a purchasing alliance that solicits manufacturer pricing for many North Carolina school systems. She said the original NCPA contract (from school year 2022–23) includes an extension clause and that the district would be seeking a third extension at a rate Helms described as $3.25 per case and an extended price of $3,042,308.98.

Board members pressed staff on nutrition rules, product sizes and price trends. Board member Ms. Koopnick asked what "Lot 1 grocery" and "Lot 3 supplies" cover; Helms explained that groceries are food items (meat, sugar, etc.) and supplies are paper goods and utensils. Ms. Sloane and others asked what "Smart Snacks" means; Helms said Smart Snacks are items approved under state/NCDPI rules that limit calories and added sugar for items sold to students and that the zero‑sugar beverages are only allowed at the high school level under those qualifications.

Board members also asked about price inflation. Helms said bid pricing was "really close" to last year and estimated roughly a 5% increase compared with typical grocery inflation. The board did not vote. The district will place these items on the agenda for a formal vote at the next business meeting.

Funding and next steps: Helms said the bids and the requested NCPA extension will be presented for board approval next week; until then no vendor was formally selected.