About Food and Nutrition Services

SaladsVISION STATEMENT
The vision of the Food & Nutrition Services Department (FNS) is to provide high quality meals using local and wholesome ingredients to the students of Cambridge so they are well nourished and ready to learn.

MISSION STATEMENT
It is the mission of the Cambridge Public Schools Food & Nutrition Services Department to be a successful model for other districts throughout the state and the country.

OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES OF OUR MISSION AND VISION INCLUDE:

  1. Designing menus built with student/community input that also meet USDA child nutrition standards
    • This will prove that students enjoy healthy foods when prepared correctly and with their input
  2. Purchasing local, regional, and school grown foods
    • This will support the local agricultural economy and reinforce agricultural learning for students
  3. Offering targeted training to all food service employees that supports their professional development
    • This will build confidence in management and culinary skills that support scratch cooking.
  4. Working towards and maintaining financial solvency for the entire department
    • This will prove to other districts through the state and country that it is possible to operate a healthy high quality program exclusively using federal reimbursement.

DEPARTMENT HIGHLIGHTS
With a dedicated staff of more than 60 employees, the Food and Nutrition Services department works hard to offer the best possible meals to students. It is our priority to offer healthy meals that students will enjoy. Since 2005 the FNS has partnered with the Cambridge Public Health Department to create the Tasty Choices program. It is through the Tasty Choices program that we are able to offer taste tests of new recipes to students as a way to gauge their taste preferences as we build our menu.

Lunch ladyAll of the school kitchens throughout the district are furnished with essential food preparation equipment allowing the Food & Nutrition Services department to offer scratch cooked items. As you near the kitchen in any Cambridge school building you should be able to catch the wholesome aroma of our in-house favorites, such as: Turkey Tacos, Vegetarian Chili, Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese, and so much more.

In addition to our fabulous hot entrees, the following schools also offer a salad bar to enhance menu variety for students: Amigos, Fletcher Maynard Academy, Morse, Dr. Martin Luther King School, Kennedy Longfellow, King Open, Peabody, Tobin, and the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.

All the elementary schools have school gardens and work with CitySprouts, a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching students about the benefits of fresh, healthy food, and working with teachers to expand garden learning in science, math and social studies. CitySprouts participates in seasonal taste tests, and garden coordinators are connected with each school kitchen manager to bring student grown produce into the lunchroom whenever possible.

In addition to using school grown produce the department works hard to source product from local and regional farms. By sourcing locally, we’re ensuring that the chefs and students have access to the freshest food possible, yielding the best and brightest flavors.

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