Creates appealing foods | Scratch cooking enhances theappeal of school meals, providing access to local fresh fruitsand vegetables, and reflecting students’ cultural backgrounds

Scratch Cooking for Schools

Transitioning to a scratch cook operation can help schools see improvement in five key areas. The belowsections describe the positive impact scratch cooking can have on school meal participation, student health andwellness, academic performance, developing financially sustainable meal programs, and supporting the localeconomy and reducing environmental impact.

PARTICIPATION

Increases school meal participation | Districts focusing onhigher quality meals have higher rates of participation. Studiesshow increased Average Daily Participation (ADP) between 3 -16% (9% average) and increased generated revenue

ChefAnnFoundation'sGetSchoolCooking2016cohortreported7.1%increaseinADP,increasedpurchaseoffreshproduceandimprovedmealqualityInVenturaCounty(CA),ADPdoubledwhen5districtscollaboratedtoimprovemealquality

RESULTS

Generates savings and revenue | Schools serving healthieroptions had more net revenue, with the same or reduced cost ofproduction (particularly using plant-forward meal planning),increased participation, increased local procurement, and reducedwaste

Creates valued workforce | Investing in personnel enhancesemployee engagement, morale, knowledge, and classroom-to-cafeteria connections. Professional development and talentrecruitment have enhanced meal quality, student satisfaction, and increased participation

RESULTS

Scratchcookingischeaperorcanbethesamecostaspurchasingpre-preparedfoodandcanbeacost-effectivewaytoexpandvarietyinhealthyschoollunchesOaklandUnifiedSchoolDistrictandMinneapolisPublicSchoolssignificantlyreducedcosts,upto$24,000/year,bytransitioningtoscratchcooking

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FINANCIALLY SUSTAINABLE MEAL PROGRAMS

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Improves attendance and participation | Well-nourished children areless frequently tardy or absent, have fewer behavioral problems, haveincreased school engagement, and participate in class at a higher rate

Raises test scores and grades | Better-quality diets are linked toimproved cognitive function, longer attention spans, increased workcapacity, better grades, and improved test scores, with a particularlypositive improvement for low-income students

LOCAL ECONOMY & ENVIRONMENT

Supports local farmers | Scratch cooking makes localprocurement more attainable, improves community support,and increases school meal acceptance and participation. Eachdollar invested in farm to school stimulates an additional$0.60-$2.16 of local economic activity

Reduces environmental impact | With a shift to more plant-forward meals, districts report significantly reducing theirwater, carbon, and waste footprints

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Promotes healthy behavior | School districts that increased theproportion of fresh and scratch cooked foods offered reported improvedstudent nutrition and increased consumption of fresh fruits andvegetables, increased physical activity, and improved cognitive function

Decreases unhealthy foods and risk of disease | Scratch cookingeliminates processed foods high in sodium, added sugars, and saturatedfats, lowering the odds of overweight/obesity, diabetes, and high bloodpressure

Studiesshowincreasedaccesstofreshlyproducedfoodpromoteshealthybehaviors,includingimprovinghealthyfoodconsumption,consuminglessunhealthyfoodsandsodas,andincreasingactivity

RESULTS

Researchdemonstratesthatimprovingthenutritionalqualityofschoolmealsappearstobethemostpromisingandcost-effectivewaytoimprovestudentlearning,comparedtoreducingclasssizes

RESULTS

RESULTSMinneapolisPublicSchoolsservesanentirelylocallysourcedmealonedayeachmonth.Onthesedays,thedistrictsaw15%increasedparticipationUsingfeweranimalfoods,OaklandUnifiedSchoolDistrictreportedsaving42milliongallonsofwaterandreducingtheircarbonfootprintby14%

Scratch Cooking for Schools

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For more information please contact Chef Ann Foundation's Director of Programs, Emily Gallivan, atemilyg@chefannfoundation.org

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