One of the mantras of Farm to School is the three C’s—classrooms, cafeterias, and communities. Of the three, cafeterias are arguably the most complicated—federal nutritional guidelines dictate much of what is served, complicated funding and eligibility formulas heavily influence School Nutrition Programs’ finances, and procurement regulations add to the pile of paperwork on Food Service Directors' desks.

In an effort to simplify all this, many districts contract out the work of feeding their students to Food Service Management Companies (FSMC, usually for-profit companies). Economies of scale and specialized experience in the field can give these companies a competitive edge and increased efficiency of feeding kids. There can exist a tension between school meal affordability and quality and the profit motive inherently tied to for-profit businesses. Similar discussions are playing out in other areas of American life where public services are privatized—healthcare, prisons, and schools at large.

For our discussion today it means that behind the scenes at the most local level, an individual school’s cafeteria, there are two bureaucracies sharing responsibility—the school administration and the FSMC. That can make effecting change more difficult and clear communication essential. It effects what students are eating every day. To get a better picture of the landscape of school lunches in southeastern Vermont, check out our Cafeteria Unknown stories. 

Every five years, a district’s food service contract needs to be re-bid, which is when the school nutrition contract is open to the public for other companies and individuals to bid. This can be a time to reflect on the current state of school meals and reassess what values the district wants to elevate—this could include incorporating more local foods, improving meal quality, or moving towards universal meals. Springfield School District (SSD) completed its contract rebid this spring and staff from Food Connects, the Department of Health, and Springfield Hospital worked with the school staff to update the nutritional guidelines in their wellness policy.  

Beth Brothers, SSD’s Health Coordinator, led this effort on the wellness team, which also serves as the district’s nutrition advisory council. Given the team’s interest in nutrition, it was a natural fit for them to take on much of the work in preparation for the contract being re-bid. Laurie Colgan, former State Director for Child Nutrition Programs, was contracted to manage the entire process and the wellness team dug into recommendations for nutritional changes. 

Of all the bids received, one stood out to Beth and many others on the review committee. The Abbey Group, a Vermont-based FSMC, ultimately won the contract. In addition to being a local company, their bid stood out to Beth because of the emphasis placed on nutrition education for their staff. The commitment to professional development and higher wages helped the Abbey Group’s bid rise to the top. 

Beth is excited to see what the new program looks like for SSD’s students this coming fall. Despite uncertainty over what school will look like, Beth and the wellness team hopes to see more local and healthy foods on the menu. She’s excited about starting a new relationship with the Abbey Group. When looking back on the entire process, Beth reflected that “the thing I have seen the biggest need for is stronger communication and collaboration.” It’ll be with that takeaway in mind that the wellness team starts the new school