ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The Anchorage School District is continuing its new student nutrition service model across all 57 elementary schools this year, marking the completion of a four-year transition away from a pre-packaged lunch system.
The shift moves away from a pre-packaged tray system that had been in place for nearly 30–40 years, according to Marcie McGill, ASD’s student nutrition senior director.
“Transformation” four years in the making
“The past four years we have been busy and intentional transforming how we serve food, produce food and purchase food,” McGill said. “We have transformed 57 of our elementary schools to what we’re calling traditional service, moving away from the hot packs and now offering more choice and better quality.”
Under the previous model, entrees and vegetables were pre-packed in trays, assembled at the district’s central kitchen and sent to schools. McGill said that system increased waste and reduced quality…