March 2023 School Nutrition Announcements

Montana Office of Public Instruction sent this bulletin at 02/15/2023 12:18 PM MST

What is Montana Marinara?

Montana Marinara is the first in a line of locally sourced value-added products designed with schools in mind. We divert USDA Foods tomatoes to Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center (Ronan, MT) where they’re combined with Montana-grown carrots, onions, squash, and safflower oil sourced through our member hub Western Montana Growers Cooperative (Missoula, MT). The final product is veggie-packed, cost-conscious, and accessible to districts across the state through the Montana Office of Public Instruction’s distribution network. By working together, we leverage each other’s strengths, support Montana farmers, and expand access to affordable local food.

OPI has made its first purchase under the USDA’s Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program

This program spans a one-year period and enables states to buy and distribute local and regional foods to sponsors of the National School Lunch Program. In addition to increasing local food consumption, the funds will help build and expand economic opportunities for local producers and will encourage schools to develop ongoing business relationships with regional producers.

In response to a competitive solicitation, Farver Farms in Scobey Montana was awarded a contract to supply 3,910 pounds of Lentil Crunchers for Montana schools. The product will be allocated to schools at no charge based on the number of lunches served. The distribution timeline is not finalized but is tentatively planned for April 2023.

Announcing Forthcoming Proposed Rule and State Agency Webinars – Child Nutrition Programs: Revisions to Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Based on the latest nutrition science and extensive feedback from our school meals partners, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service is proposing updates to the school nutrition standards in a few key areas to give children the right balance of nutrients for healthy and appealing meals. The proposed updates reflect the goals of the most recent Dietary Guidelines [dietaryguidelines.gov], as required by law, and build in plenty of time for planning and implementation to ensure the school meals community and the children they serve are set up for success.

This proposed rule – Child Nutrition Programs: Revisions to Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans [fns.usda.gov] – is the next step in an ongoing effort [fns.usda.gov] toward healthier school meals that USDA and the broader school meals community have been partnering on for well over a decade. Next week, the proposed rule will be available on the Federal Register and open for public comment.

USDA Team Nutrition Releases New Nutrition Education for Kindergarten Resources

New and updated Discover MyPlate: Nutrition Education for Kindergarten [lnks.gd] materials are now available from USDA’s Team Nutrition initiative! These fun resources foster the development of healthy food choices and physically active lifestyles during a critical developmental and learning period for children—kindergarten. The expanded resources include recipes, food cards, emergent reader mini books, and lessons that meet educational standards.

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