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Elk Grove Unified highlights farm-to-school, scratch-cooked meals and equipment upgrades in nutrition report
Summary
District Food & Nutrition Services reported serving roughly 9.38 million meals in 2024-25, described efforts to increase scratch-cooked entrees to about 50%, local farm partnerships, pilot cart programs to reduce lines and expand choices, and ongoing equipment and fleet upgrades.
Elk Grove Unified School District's Food & Nutrition Services (FNS) presented its annual report to trustees, highlighting efforts to expand freshly prepared scratch-cooked meals, strengthen farm-to-school sourcing, and address service speed at high-need sites.
FNS reported serving about 9,380,000 meals in the 2024-25 school year and said roughly 50% of entree offerings are now scratch-cooked. The department described partnerships with local farms (Fiery Ginger Farms and Mellon Brothers) and a pilot cart at Pleasant Grove High School to broaden menu choices and help reduce line times. "We are the largest restaurant in Elk Grove," the presenter said, describing programs that include National School Lunch, School Breakfast, Summer Seamless and Child and Adult Care food programs.
Officials described nutrition-education efforts such as SHAPE training for teachers (about 413 teachers reached) and farm-education opportunities (student-grown lettuce and on-site farm visits). Staff noted removal of food dyes and near-elimination of nitrates in menu items and said they were tracking forthcoming state legislation on ultra-processed foods.
Trustees praised the operation and asked about operational fixes for long lines at particular campuses; staff said they were testing additional points of sale, menu adjustments and considering adding staff where needed. FNS also discussed central-kitchen modernization completed last year and remaining equipment replacements (ovens, reach-in refrigerators and fleet trucks) identified for future capital work.
The board thanked staff and affirmed the strategic focus on healthy, appealing meals and student engagement through taste tests and pilot programs.
The presentation closed with staff noting ongoing monitoring of federal and state program rules and future certification steps (Eat Real certification) that the department expects to finalize by summer.
