Erie’s Public Schools has been named a recipient of the Healthy Meals Incentive Recognition Award. This is a national honor that is presented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK).
The award specifically celebrates the recipes developed by the district’s food service team in collaboration with Metz Culinary Management.
According to the district’s Wellness Director Caitlin Falk, this award represents progress made towards making Erie’s Public Schools the healthiest in the Commonwealth.
The main focus is to be the healthiest district and improve the nutrition offerings. While it is known that the food by Metz has always met the USDA Smart Snacks Standards, starting these meals from scratch is the best way to make the food options available to students even healthier.
The honor itself shines a spotlight on the dedication that the foodservice professionals and district leaders provide to the students.
Jennifer Patterson a General Manager for Metz Culinary Management at Erie’s Public Schools states that they are proving that healthy, from scratch meals are practical and appealing to students.
The district included a wide variety of options from a shawarma bar with halal chicken and handmade beef kofta, Mexican street corn, and six fruit forward smoothies which had all been crafted with USDA-provided commodities.
The recipes themselves were a part of a larger initiative that has been supported by a five-year wellness grant that was awarded to Erie’s Public Schools.
The grant allowed funding to new cultural menu items as well as providing enhanced nutritional education for students, family, and staff.
This award brings national recognition to the commitment of Erie to elevate school nutrition.
Metz shows commitment to improve the nutritional value of the dishes they serve to K-12 students while offering them meals to look forward to.