School Nutrition

Why School Food Matters

Each day, close to 10,000 students receive breakfast and lunch in our Sullivan County public schools. The quality of these meals impact kids’ health and learning, as well as communities and the environment. Scratch cooking is an important component of school meals.*

Scratch cooking protects children’s health. Scratch-cooked meals with minimally processed ingredients offer natural nutrients, more fiber and protein, and fewer preservatives, fillers, dyes, sodium, and sugar. Early exposure to fresh meals encourages lifelong healthy habits and reduces diet-related diseases.

Scratch cooking improves student behavior and academic outcomes. Balanced diets help children focus, retain information, and perform better in school. Scratch cooking is linked to better grades, attention spans, and energy levels.

Scratch cooking bolsters local economies. Scratch cooking lets schools buy directly from local farms. For every $1 spent on farm-to-school, up to $2.16 is generated in regional economic growth.

Scratch cooking is better for the planet. Using whole ingredients reduces packaging and food waste. Schools can also source organic, sustainable products and reduce emissions by buying locally.

Scratch cooking encourages student-inspired menus. Scratch cooking allows schools to cater menus to their student population. This can include using more traditional ingredients and recipes that reflect students’ collective heritages, which can further enhance social learning and contribute to fostering a welcoming and integrated student community.

Scratch cooking creates jobs. School food services offer a viable career opportunity for culinary students outside of the restaurant industry. School food careers rooted in scratch cooking provide a pathway for better pay, better benefits, and more opportunity for career advancement.

Read on to learn how Sullivan 180 is contributing to this important work.

*Information gathered from the Chef Ann Foundation (www.chefannfoundation.org).

Food Service Staff Conference

Each August, Sullivan 180 convenes school food service professionals from across Sullivan County for a full-day conference focused on strengthening school nutrition programs and advancing farm-to-school efforts. Hosted in partnership with the School Nutrition Action Coalition (SNAC), the conference provides hands-on workshops, culinary skill-building, and peer learning designed to support scratch cooking, local food sourcing, and practical strategies for promoting healthy meals in school cafeterias. Participants engage directly with chefs, educators, and regional food partners while exploring realistic approaches that bring fresh, whole ingredients to students every day. By investing in the professional development of food service staff, Sullivan 180 supports the critical role they play in ensuring students have access to nutritious meals that fuel learning, health, and long-term wellbeing.