Reducing food waste might sound like one more thing to put on your plate, but it can also improve your operational process and maybe even increase participation. Identify your goals, test new strategies and use these practical strategies to make 2026 your most sustainable year yet!
In K–12 school nutrition, sustainability is less about buzzwords and more about durability: menus that students will eat, staff can execute and districts can afford, day after day, while staying fully aligned with USDA meal pattern requirements.
We’ve written about farm to school before. We’ve covered the why and benefits. So instead of rehashing the basics, consider this a check-in: Where are we now? What have we learned? And what actually makes farm to school programs stick?
School meals are one of the most widely discussed—and often misunderstood—parts of public education. Drawing from insights shared by school nutrition leaders across the country, through SNA’s podcast School Food for Thought, we’re exploring different perspectives to set the record straight about what school meals look like today, why they matter and how they support children well beyond the lunch line.
Dairy milk and foods are nutritional powerhouses, fueling growth and supporting health throughout the human lifespan. As the body of science continues to show the potential role of nutrient-dense dairy foods—specifically milk, cheese and yogurt at all fat levels—in a healthy diet, what remains constant is that these nutrient-rich dairy foods deliver high-quality nutrition to Americans at each stage of life.
A look at how manufacturers interpret—and innovate around—the evolving expectations behind “clean labels,” and what those shifts mean for K–12 programs navigating ingredient transparency, wellness trends and operational challenges.
Last July, SNA’s 2025 national award winners took to the stage at our Annual National Conference to officially accept their recognitions from SNA’s then-President Shannon Gleave. Now, what have they all been up to in the six months since then? And now that the 2026 awards cycle is open for nominations, what is the best advice they have to encourage others to enter themselves or someone they know?
One school nutrition director’s reflections from the 24th Global Child Nutrition Forum held in Osaka, Japan.
Social media defines all kinds of trends—including those related to food. Here’s how to stay on top of today’s biggest food and flavor trends, bring the next viral recipe into the cafeteria and appeal to what’s trending with your Gen Z and Gen Alpha students.
We asked expert trend-watchers to identify the top flavor opportunities that are currently connecting with the younger members of Gen Z and the older kids in Gen Alpha and a few to keep an eye on for the future.