Chef Ann Foundation

We could use your help.🚨 The Institute of Child Nutrition is running a Food Trends in K-12 survey, and they’re looking for input from school food professionals by June 15. This is your chance to share your perspective. Please take a moment to complete the survey or pass it along to your colleagues: https://usmep.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cHg2SfQm4Z1KIsu

📣 Have you taken the 2026–2027 Food Trends in K-12 survey yet?

Our Applied Research Division (ICN ARD) invites school nutrition professionals to share their insights on food trends in schools participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. Your input helps build a clearer picture of what’s happening in K-12 cafeterias nationwide—and supports the future of school meals.

✨ Why participate?
✔️ Contribute to meaningful research that supports the field
✔️ Access findings shared through reports, publications, and conferences
✔️ Help shape the future of school nutrition

🕒 Takes just 15–30 minutes
🔒 Anonymous and voluntary
📌 Please complete only once

Your voice makes a difference—thank you for supporting fellow child nutrition professionals!

👉 Take the survey: https://usmep.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cHg2SfQm4Z1KIsu

Fellowship helping Portage’s food service director stir up program Portage Township Schools Food Service Director Dawn Kelley had homework due on Friday. She’s one of 23 school food service professionals nationwide to have been granted a 2026 Healthy School Food Pathway fellowship through the Chef Ann F…

The $1.6 billion USDA Foods system is a vital resource that can be improved to better connect with local farmers and ensure schools receive reliable, healthy, and fresh food.

We want to urge Congress to add a Local Food Purchase Option to the Farm Bill. This would let schools choose to buy from local farms rather than rely solely on the national program.

This change is a no-cost solution and will keep tax dollars in our own communities and give schools more control over their menus.

Sign on by June 5 to help us support local farmers and get fresher food into our schools. https://ow.ly/ZOY950Z5liT

Three years ago, Erin Angela Camacho, RDN, set out to standardize 10 new, culturally relevant, plant-forward recipes as part of her Fellowship capstone project. Today, she reimagines how school food connects students to their heritage and builds local food systems as the child nutrition program nutritionist at the CNMI Public School System.

Recognizing that her students might lack access to locally grown starches often used in the cuisine of the Mariana Islands, Erin made establishing this cultural connection a priority. She teamed up with local farmers and key partners, including Northern Marianas College, Cooperative Research, Extension, and Education Services, Kagman Agricultural Farmers and Producers Association,
Garapan Public Market, and regional school meal vendors, to bridge this gap.

Today, local starches take center stage as the stars of delicious, culturally-rich menu items. For instance, dagu (yam) has successfully replaced imported grains on the weekly menu and is featured in recipes like beef dagu pechay soup. Additionally, vibrant, locally grown Okinawan purple sweet potatoes are now being served as mashed sweet potatoes. Looking ahead, Erin and her team are dedicated to sharing the cultural stories behind these local ingredients, fostering deeper connections, and getting students excited to explore these traditional flavors.

Kudos to Erin for bringing more sustainable, community-driven school meals to the menu!

📸 Photographs provided by the Northern Marianas College, Cooperative Research, Extension, and Education Services (NMC-CREES) Media and Communications Program