Good nutrition and learning go hand in hand.

Meals, foods and beverages sold or served at schools meet state and federal requirements which are based on the USDA Dietary Guidelines. We provide students with access to a variety of affordable and appealing foods that meet the health and nutrition needs of students.

Welcome Back!

We hope you and your family had an enjoyable summer. It seems like the final bell just rang and here we are again, starting a new year.

The Food & Nutrition Services department is made up of a team of 25 food and nutrition professionals that are dedicated to the students of Benicia. Our mission is to provide access to quality nutritious meals in a customer friendly environment, to enhance and support all student's and educator's ability to achieve academic excellence while forming healthy life- long eating habits.  We aim to do the best we can to offer affordable yet tasty meals that provide our students with the nutrients they need to be healthy individuals. Here’s a sample of the steps we have taken to make our meals better.

·         Eliminate items that contain Tran’s fat.

·         Limit the amount of sugar in breakfast cereals to a maximum of 10 grams per serving.

·         Emphasize the use of whole grain and whole wheat products in breads, pizza crust, breakfast entrées, cereals and many of our snacks.

·         Serve 100% fruit juice.

·         No fried foods on our menu. Any potato products are baked.

·         Only offer low fat white (15 g sugar) & chocolate milk (19 g sugar).

·         Chocolate milk is now only offered Thursday and Friday.

·         All elementary schools feature an expanded salad bar featuring 10 items consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables and canned fruit in light syrup or natural juice.

We serve approximately 160 breakfasts daily within the 3 breakfast schools and approximately 1,400 lunches on a daily basis in our 7 schools. Elementary students are offered a nutritious breakfast and/or lunch. Middle & High school students do not have a set menu as Food & Nutrition Services adapts the menu items to student preferences but both offer a variety of foods available through the traditional lunch line.

With the exception of Liberty High an automated point of service system is in use at every school location.  Students enter a personal identification number to account for the meal. Food & Nutrition Services encourages parents to pre-pay for student meals. Parents are also encouraged to check their student account balances to ensure funds are available. When a student’s account is low, a red reminder notice will be given to the student.

We hope that the 2011 – 2012 school year is a great one for you. And remember to:

Eat healthy, Play healthy, Stay healthy

Sincerely,

Food & Nutrition Services