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Board renews three food‑service contracts and notes new Styrofoam ban
Summary
The Rockingham County Public Schools board unanimously approved awards and renewals for milk, fresh produce and food/paper contracts for 2025–26 and heard that a July 1 ban on Styrofoam to‑go containers means the division has stopped new Styrofoam purchases and will use alternatives for daily service.
The Rockingham County Public Schools board voted unanimously on July 14 to approve three contracting actions for school food services for the 2025–26 school year.
Jennifer Williams, director of food and nutrition services, recommended awarding the milk contract to Pet Dairy with an estimated total annual cost of $266,857.50. The board moved to follow the recommendation and adopted the award 5–0.
Williams also recommended renewing the fresh‑produce contract with Standard Produce Company for an estimated $135,000 annually and renewing the full‑service food and paper products agreement with Merchants Grocery Company (estimated annual cost presented as $2,000,000). Both renewals were approved unanimously.
Williams told the board that a ban on Styrofoam to‑go containers that took effect July 1 covers food vendors with 20 or more locations and therefore applies to the school division. “As of July 1, food services has not purchased any styrofoam products,” she said, and staff will use remaining inventory for summer school while shifting to regular trays and other alternatives during the school year.
Board members asked operational questions about dishwasher capacity and staffing; Williams said regular trays will be used daily and paper alternatives will be available for special circumstances if hard trays cannot be used. The board approved the contracting actions and closed the agenda items.
What happens next: The contracts will be implemented by food and nutrition services for the 2025–26 school year under the terms and estimated costs presented to the board.
