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Miami‑Dade outlines 'Food for the Future' framework, unveils composting and scratch‑cooking pilots
Summary
District leaders presented the 'Food for the Future' framework at an Oct. 29 workshop, detailing daily meal volumes, a $157,000 dishwasher pilot at Palmetto Middle School, a USDA‑funded composting trial at seven schools and commitments to cleaner, scratch‑cooked menu items and local sourcing.
At an Oct. 29 school board workshop, Miami‑Dade County Public Schools staff presented a new Food for the Future policy framework that aims to expand scratch cooking, increase local sourcing and cut meal‑related waste across the district.
Luis Diaz, who staff introduced as leading the presentation, said the district serves a mass scale of meals: “152,000 meals, student lunches on a daily basis are provided by Miami Dade County Public Schools,” and noted the district’s annual nutrition budget is roughly $230,000,000 and is largely supported by federally reimbursable meals.
Why it matters: the district is one of the region’s largest meal programs; changes to menus, procurement and waste handling could affect tens of thousands of students, food‑service jobs and local farmers.
Staff described several pilots and operational changes. Assistant Superintendent Alexis Martinez outlined a USDA‑funded composting and diversion pilot that selected seven schools from roughly 70 applicants and will run for 180 days. Martinez said the…
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