New Meal Pattern Video for Carmel High School

Carmel Clay Schools
Food and Nutrition Services
5201 East Main Street
Carmel, Indiana 46033
317-844-9961
Director: Amy J. Anderson, RD
 

Welcome to the Carmel Clay Schools Food and Nutrition Services Department. Major changes to the school meal programs took effect with the passage of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA). As a part of the law passed by Congress, school lunch and breakfast meals are required to undergo major changes. Carmel’s Food and Nutrition Services Department began making many of the changes we anticipated 5 years ago. For a more in depth list of the changes we have already implemented, go to “Did You Know”. 

This year several major changes affecting your child’s school meals that we did not anticipate must be implemented.   The major change is that every student must take at least one fruit or one vegetable as a part of the meal. Congress’ intent is to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables with American children. We had expanded the offerings of fresh fruits and vegetables to our students prior to the passage of the HHFKA. Our students are huge consumers of fresh vegetables and fruits.  

The regulations also are limiting the servings of grains and proteins offered to elementary, middle and high school students. CCS had already begun decreasing the servings of some of these items – desserts have basically been eliminated from the menus, most bread served is whole grain, our pasta is Barilla Plus which we will be changing to a whole grain product this school year. We now have daily minimums and weekly minimum and maximum levels for each grade range. To meet these requirements some of our popular meals will have increased bread/meat servings while others will be decreased. 

We will continue to meet our mission of providing nutritionally balanced meals at a reasonable cost to students, staff and guests, while providing nutrition education and promoting the school corporation’s wellness policy. Nutrition and learning go hand in hand. A hungry child cannot learn. To assure we are providing the best meals possible, all our menus are created and analyzed by a Registered Dietitian.

Click here for more information on free and reduced meals.

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