Dallas ISD’s Food and Child Nutrition Services department provides free, nutritious meals to all students, regardless of income.
The Food and Child Nutrition Services (FCNS) department crafts meals that meet high nutritional standards and that children will purportedly enjoy eating.
Menus are planned by a team of registered dietitians, nutritionists, and chefs in accordance with the USDA’s strict nutrition guidelines. The meals are lower in sodium, fat, and added sugars than traditional meals and contain fiber from whole grains while at the same time still appealing to kids. The meals are also trans-fat-free, and there are no deep-fat fryers in the district’s more than 200 school kitchens. Weekly calculations are made to ensure that 10% or fewer calories come from saturated fat and 35% or fewer calories come from total fat.
“It’s critical for us to not only have these meals available but also to make [them] something that they want to eat,” said Trina Nelson, executive chef at FCNS, as reported by The Hub, Dallas ISD’s news webpage. “We involve students in the menu planning process to ensure our meals are not only healthy but also appealing to their taste.”
FCNS provides a variety of programs, including breakfast and lunch, after-school meals, Saturday school meals, break meals, and summer meals. The department also has a “Back to Scratch” initiative dedicated to making meals from scratch, using fresh ingredients sourced from local vendors and farmers. FCNS also strives to cater to students’ unique diets, including providing allergen-free options.
The department ensures that every student receives two meals per day and provides year-round meals in an effort to address food insecurity.
“We strive to make nutritious meals accessible to all students, regardless of their economic circumstances,” Nelson said, per The Hub. “Kids need that food. It energizes their brain, and it keeps them going for the day.”
This coming academic year, FCNS will collaborate with the Career and Technical Education program to launch a student ambassador program to help promote healthy eating habits and advocate for nutrition education within the school community.
According to the latest accountability report from the Texas Education Agency, only 41% of Dallas ISD students scored at grade level on the STAAR exam in 2021-2022, while almost 20% of the district’s graduating Class of 2022 did not obtain a diploma within four years.