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Barstow Unified lays out nutrition plans: more fresh options, summer meal expansion
Summary
Nutrition services told the board the district follows USDA rules, has expanded high-school salad bars and made-to-order lines, serves roughly 900–950 lunches daily at the high school, and is planning summer bulk meal packs and grab-and-go expansion.
District nutrition staff presented operational details and expansion plans for student meals during the Jan. 27 Barstow Unified School District meeting, emphasizing USDA compliance and a push toward fresh produce and summer meal outreach.
"We provide breakfast, lunch, after school meals, summer meals, field trip meals, and Saturday school meals," the nutrition services presenter told trustees, summarizing program coverage and the district's "offer versus serve" approach to reduce waste while maintaining USDA meal-component requirements.
High-school efforts include a salad bar, made-to-order stations and two additional topping bars designed to increase fresh fruit and vegetable consumption. The presenter said the high school serves "approximately 900 to 950 lunches" and "about 200 breakfasts" on a typical day, and that staff are working to expand scratch cooking and consistent quality across sites.
At the elementary level, a partnership with Domino's provides a pizza slice on Mondays accompanied by a chef salad or fresh fruit; nutrition staff said the pairing is intended to balance student preferences with fresh offerings. The department also described summer-meal planning: last year staff prepared large bulk meal packs (about 350–400) and used drive-through distribution; this year they aim to expand grab-and-go options and partner with community vendors for a summer kickoff sampling event.
Trustees thanked staff for the presentation and asked no substantive follow-up votes; the presentation was informational. Nutrition staff said they will continue to refine menus, expand fresh options when produce is in season, and coordinate summer-meal distribution logistics with partners.
What happens next: Department staff will proceed with summer meal planning and community outreach; any budgetary or vendor commitments would return to the board for approval.
