Category K-12

K-12 Food Trends: What's Hot for 2024 and 2025

K-12 Food Trends: What's Hot for 2024 and 2025

The new Trend Feast™ Guide is here! Learn about the trends in food and beverage shaping K-12 foodservice in 2024-25 and beyond.

6/25/2024

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Simplot Serves Up Smiles During National School Breakfast Week

Simplot Serves Up Smiles During National School Breakfast Week

The National School Breakfast Program plays a critical role in supporting learning. We honor the over 120,000 school nutrition workers nationwide for their dedication to students and communities. We're proud to assist them with versatile products that simplify their tasks.

3/22/2024

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Grain Bowl Update: How to Simplify Prep in Your Kitchen

Grain Bowl Update: How to Simplify Prep in Your Kitchen

After a decade of explosive growth, grain bowl popularity shows no sign of waning, especially among younger generations. And new products are making bowls easier than ever to serve!

2/6/2024

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Feeding Gen Alpha: What K-12 Can Learn from New Research

Feeding Gen Alpha: What K-12 Can Learn from New Research

Generation Alpha is set to revolutionize school lunch programs with its diverse, health-conscious, and brand-aware eating habits. See the latest research to help with your K-12 menu planning.

1/25/2024

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6 Reasons Why K-12 School Kitchens Love Today’s Frozen Foods

6 Reasons Why K-12 School Kitchens Love Today’s Frozen Foods

American schools have made a heroic effort to serve more vegetables and fruits to their students. But, it isn't easy. Here are the six biggest reasons K-12 schools find frozen products the perfect complement to their fresh produce program.

1/10/2024

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National School Lunch Week Update

National School Lunch Week Update

The theme of this year’s NSLW was “Level Up With School Lunch” and the Simplot K-12 Team visited kitchens in the West Ada School District near Boise last week to commemorate the occasion in style!

10/13/2023

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K-12 Food Trends: Grain Bowls, Funky Fries and More

K-12 Food Trends: Grain Bowls, Funky Fries and More

The K-12 Team at Simplot has identified three important trends in K-12 foodservice for 2023 that can help you increase participation and meet nutritional standards: funky fries, grain bowls and reimagined classics. Read on for menu inspiration and helpful product recommendations.

5/9/2023

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How to Make Frozen Fries Crispy in the Oven

How to Make Frozen Fries Crispy in the Oven

Baking frozen french fries is a must in K-12 foodservice. (Can you think of anything your students love more?) In this article, you'll learn how to make frozen fries crispy in the oven in a way that rivals the best your K-12 students have enjoyed in restaurants.

4/27/2023

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Trending Bowl Recipes and Ingredients for K-12

Trending Bowl Recipes and Ingredients for K-12

Bowls are a trend quickly gaining popularity on K-12 menus across the United States. In this article, we discuss the most notable trends in bowls for K-12, with an emphasis on emerging flavors and ingredients.

2/23/2023

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The Simplot K-12 Team Helps Celebrate National School Lunch Week (NSLW)

The Simplot K-12 Team Helps Celebrate National School Lunch Week (NSLW)

President John F. Kennedy created National School Lunch Week (NSLW) in 1962 to promote the importance of a healthy school lunch in a child’s life and the impact it has inside and outside the classroom.

10/28/2022

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Global Flavors Taking Center Stage in K-12

Global Flavors Taking Center Stage in K-12

Kids these days have adventurous palates and are more food-savvy than ever before. Are you catering to your K-12 customers' hunger for global flavors?

9/14/2022

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What Students Want: Trends in K-12 for Lunch, Breakfast and Grab-n-Go

What Students Want: Trends in K-12 for Lunch, Breakfast and Grab-n-Go

Here's a rundown of the notable K-12 foodservice innovations and trends we've identified for lunch, breakfast, grab-n-go and Smart Snacks, along with some data on the items students are craving off-campus.

5/9/2022

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Celebrate School Lunch Hero Day on May 6th

Celebrate School Lunch Hero Day on May 6th

The School Nutrition Association created School Lunch Hero Day to recognize the hard work and dedication of the 100,000+ men and women across the U.S. who feed our kids.

5/6/2022

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How Versatile Products Are Helping K-12 During National School Lunch Week

How Versatile Products Are Helping K-12 During National School Lunch Week

Supply chain disruptions are creating unwelcome surprises for menu planners and kitchen staff alike. These pandemic-related shortages are also shining a spotlight on an aspect of food products that is sometimes overlooked: versatility.

10/7/2021

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District Wins $500 from Simplot for Unpaid School Lunches

District Wins $500 from Simplot for Unpaid School Lunches

A school district in Wisconsin becomes the latest recipient of a $500 scholarship to reduce their unpaid school lunch debt.

2/17/2020

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K-12 Seasoning Recommendations for new Conquest® Crispy Potato Strips

K-12 Seasoning Recommendations for new Conquest® Crispy Potato Strips

Looking for inspiration? Here are some top flavors we recommend for the new Conquest® Crispy Potato Strips.

2/12/2020

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How to Make Your Bids More Successful

How to Make Your Bids More Successful

Bid Season is upon us once again and bidding remains a challenge for most districts. Complying with regulations is important, but hardly your only task; bids need to be carefully structured to ensure you're getting the items and service that most effectively support your menus and menu cycles.

2/12/2020

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USDA Final Rule Loosens Milk, Sodium, Whole Grain Requirements

USDA Final Rule Loosens Milk, Sodium, Whole Grain Requirements

Nearly two years after the comment period ended, with more than 86,000 comments submitted, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made changes to some of the nutritional targets in its original rule.

12/17/2019

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Now Here's a Test That Students Actually Like!

Now Here's a Test That Students Actually Like!

Serving 104,000 students breakfast and lunch is what the Shelby County Nutrition Services does every day. With that many students to feed, you need to get it right!

12/13/2019

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Simplot Helping Battle School Lunch Debt

Simplot Helping Battle School Lunch Debt

Having unpaid student meal debt is common these days, both for students and school districts. Learn how Simplot Food Group is committing to lend a hand.

12/13/2019

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Trending Now: International Flavors for Kids' Meals

Trending Now: International Flavors for Kids' Meals

As a school foodservice director, you're always fighting to increase your school meal participation. One answer? Keep your menu relevant to new generations of students.

6/27/2019

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Pro Tip for K-12: Roasting Meadow Blend Vegetables

Pro Tip for K-12: Roasting Meadow Blend Vegetables

Our April recipe feature comes from Heather Lyman, Kitchen Manager at Ellis High school in Ellis, Kansas.

4/1/2019

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K-12 Best Practice: Frozen, Fresh or Canned?

K-12 Best Practice: Frozen, Fresh or Canned?

Starting a life-long habit of eating fruits and vegetables in childhood leads to healthy eating as adults.

3/8/2019

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Making School Lunches as Good as Eating Out

Making School Lunches as Good as Eating Out

It's a battle for many parents, getting their children to eat and getting them to eat the right foods.

2/15/2019

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Should You Consider Commodity Processing for Your Frozen Potatoes?

Should You Consider Commodity Processing for Your Frozen Potatoes?

If your district isn’t taking advantage of the USDA’s commodity processing program, you’re not alone. Only about 25% of K12 sales are made through this program. Why? Many districts simply aren’t aware of the savings and logistical advantages of commodity processing for popular items like French fries.

1/30/2019

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Social Media for K-12 Nutrition Programs

Social Media for K-12 Nutrition Programs

How to use social media to get the word out about what's happening in your school nutrition program.

1/10/2019

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School Menu Inspiration: Build Your Own Bowls

School Menu Inspiration: Build Your Own Bowls

Food bowls have been around centuries in Asian cultures, but the craze hit America hard over the last couple of years. For schools, build-your-own bowls can help you stay on-trend and offer truly healthy meals while giving kids the freedom to mix and match their favorite flavors.

6/27/2018

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Leaving the Federal School Lunch Program

Leaving the Federal School Lunch Program

A Missouri school district brings in students and parents to chart a new course._x000D_

2/23/2018

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